Archive Block 1500
by ILR
Summary: A summery of the turning point in Lady Ryoko's mortal life.
1. Night Before

Log recorded on Cycle 98.92.50.29

Author: Lady Tokimi

Heading: Comment

                The following file is intended to keep a record of the events leading up to the ascension of the New Goddess Ryoko (mortal name: Ryoko Hakubi). The history has been recorded in narrative form by request of Lady Washu. She, Lady Tsunami and I have made sure the events are told with meticulous detail, though we apologize if any inaccuracies may exist. 

                If you wish to learn more about Lady Ryoko and her future teachings, or you require a more analytical version of the subject, please consult archive blocks 1,500-20,000. If you are a member of the Science Academy and are on assignment from Lady Washu, please bring your questions to her.

Log recorded on Cycle 05.12.79.43

Author: Lady Washu. Lady Tokimi. Lady Tsunami.

Heading: History. Unlocked on Cycle 54.68.12.45

                Ryoko sipped sake in the late dusk. She was perched in a tree on the highest hill above the Masaki home enjoying the last moments of the fading sunset. The beauty of the natural sky brought about self-contemplation, and during this moment of thought, a voice spoke to her.

                "Ryoko."

                The voice was unfamiliar to her and she didn't know what to think of it. Whether it was imagined or real was unknown. She was sure that answering the voice was harmless enough, so she tested it. "Yes?"

                A form appeared before her. A woman wearing a customary kimono garb that blended with the colors of the night. Her hair was a pale brown that arced behind her. An orange headpiece was fixed above her brow. Her face held no expression and her eyes were a solid violet that penetrated the pupil.

                "I am the Goddess of Power and Ambition. But there is no need to be so impersonal among family. You may call me Tokimi." Her voice was smooth and her words rehearsed.

                Ryoko absorbed her presence with another sip from her sake cup. "You'll forgive me if I'm a bit weary to believe you, o' spirit of the night." Ryoko said with a smirk.

                Tokimi allowed a smile to grace her lips. "How refreshing it is to finally speak to you. You are definitely your mother's daughter. No mortal has spoken to me with such insolence for more than forty cycles."

                Ryoko didn't think what she said was that sarcastic, and she wondered what kind of treatment she was used to if such a simple comment offended her. Ryoko responded with a short laugh. "Cycles? Now you're just making stuff up."

                "A cycle... is one full experiment of life. It spans from the creation of the first molecule, to the extinction of the last species. To put that into terms you might understand you'll have to imagine a number with one million digits. Multiply that number by itself and that will be the number of years for one cycle to complete."

                Ryoko laughed, "And I thought Washu was old..."

                "She is. Older than I, in fact."

                Ryoko rolled her eyes hopelessly; still ready to believe this was an elaborate prank by some unknown party. "Alright, I'll bite, who are you and how do you know Washu?"

                "As I said before my name is Tokimi. Washu is my elder sister. You are the first niece I have ever had. To speak openly, I am quite excited to be talking to you directly. Our family has not increased in numbers since Mother conceived consciousness."

                Ryoko sat forward and said, "So, are you similar to Tsunami?"

                "Ah, Tsunami... my other dear sister. She is the youngest among us. Her innocence is a charming reminder of why life exists. You see... her realm is Life and Fellowship. Her compassion is unlimited and she relinquishes it to all, even those I believe deserve none."

                "Oh yeah? That's like love, right? She's the goddess of love?" Ryoko snickered.

                Tokimi paused for a moment, only for effect. "I understand your skepticism. Given your experiences, witnessing a being such as myself appear from nothing, is not out of the ordinary. Allow me to take you to a more appropriate setting."

                Ryoko hardly drew in a breath before her surroundings were changed. Surrounding her was a consuming void. She felt pressure on the souls of her feet, so she knew she was at least standing in gravity. When she looked down, however, the only thing to see was the Milky Way galaxy.

                "I hope this view doesn't startle you."

                A feeling of disorientation swept through Ryoko and she fought just to stand. The darkness worked her fears intensely, but the light from the Milky Way Galaxy allowed her to keep her composure. "I... think I'll be ok." She finally said. "You said you were a Goddess?"

                Tokimi's image appeared and she smiled again. "Yes, and hopefully one day you shall join us among our realms, but for now you must remain on this plane." 

                Tokimi paused to allow a change of subject. She said, "You seem to be taking this quite well. Much better than myself, I must say. When Washu told me I was to be a future Goddess I thought myself insane."

                Ryoko pulled her eyes from the galaxy's light to look at Tokimi. "I've had some time to think about a few things when I was locked away in that cave. I didn't put it all together at once, but I knew there might be more to me when my power could challenge Tsunami's. At least I thought so. Yosho defeated me at the peak of my strength, so I thought it was just some stupid fantasy."

                "Kagato was frightened of you power. Even though he would have aquired his goal if he allowed you to mature, he couldn't risk losing control of you. Your abilities far exceed any Juraian Knight. The only beings that could challenge you are Tsunami's Tenchi and my Z."

                Ryoko was disquieted. "I don't understand. I possessed all three gems. Even he could not control how I used them, so that must have been my strongest form."

                Compassion was now on Tokimi's face, the first emotion Ryoko had seen the woman possess. "My foolish sister, is she so blinded by her realm that she ignores her own daughter's conflicts?"

                "What are you talking about?"

                "Ask your mother about this when I return you. It is a subject too... implicit for me to speak to you about. It is not my place."

                "Alright... then why is it that you're telling me these things?"

                The memento stole expression from Tokimi's face. "The reason I come to you is because I need your help. Every cycle, Mother places a contest between my sisters and I to ensure we will work to create the most sophisticated life forms among us. Long ago when Tsunami was first conceived we did so with open war between our peoples. But it wasn't long before we realized how redundant it was to waste the lives of those races we worked to improve. 

                "We agreed to simplify our contest to three warriors. Each would represent their goddess and their people to prove themselves in every merit a mortal being could possess."

                Ryoko raised her hand, "So let me get this straight... are you my enemy or something?"

                Tokimi smiled. "No, Ryoko, we have long since grown out of our former ways. In the last four cycles we have managed to finish with no bloodshed. Just because you may fight my Z or Tsunami's Tenchi, it does not mean you will kill them. 

                "A side effect of forming these warriors is that we cannot help but to become significantly attached to them. Your mother loves you very much, I'm sure. And Tsunami cares for her Tenchi. I am so very fond of my Z... my precious Z. We all understand how we feel for our representatives, so as we work to create capable beings we also work for their safety. 

                "Tsunami, being so young, is very protective of her Tenchi. As a result she tends to be somewhat ruthless when it comes to insuring his survival. Your mother is quite upset with her right now since she has caused the both of you much unneeded anguish.

                "Washu's original representative was not you. If you remember correctly, Washu once birthed a son with a man she loved. He was supposed to appear for Washu at the contest, but Tsunami wouldn't have it. The father of this child was a member of the Royal family on Seniwa, whose people are my creation. Currently the Seniwas openly oppose the Juraian Empire. If the boy would have fought for Washu, there would surely be an alliance between him and my Z. Tenchi is very capable, but he would not withstand an attack from two. 

                "I saw and understood her fear for Tenchi's life, so I allowed her to destroy what little peace Washu had during her mortal life. I sense that Washu has forgiven me for that, knowing that she would act in a similar way if she were the third party. However Tsunami wasn't satisfied. Even though I am loosely involved in her matters with Washu I am reluctant to give my consent for her strategy."

                Ryoko began to see Tsunami in a different light. "What did she do?" She asked softly. 

                "You know better than any other soul in the galaxy, Ryoko. My sisters and I have limited control over the fate of our people. Whenever a random thought occurs to you, even though it was your own, it's us reminding you to think of it. Whenever your find a moment to be convenient or coincidental, it is us who arranged it. Whenever you must make a lofty choice where the outcome is frivolous, we choose for you. Over the course of many millennia these microscopic events amount to whatever it is we wish. 

                "Tsunami has designed your fate so that you would be in a position to fall in love with her Tenchi. She hoped that you and Tenchi would engage my precious Z together and defeat him. If this comes to be I will never forgive Tsunami."

                "Are you saying I only love Tenchi because Tsunami told me to?" Ryoko asked.

                "Nothing as extreme as that. Many years ago with when Washu first enlisted into the Science Academy she made a friend named Akara Naja. She studied with Washu and benefited from her wisdom. Naja had a taste of Washu's unlimited knowledge and she was instantly corrupted. However, she was only human and could not live long enough to reach Washu's level of intelligence. To circumvent death she cloned herself into an altered body, one that would withstand time. She became Kagato. 

                "When Naja returned as Kagato Washu was still distraught from the loss of her child, and she sought comfort in her old friend's company. That is when she decided to conceive you. Washu didn't know of the corruption boiling inside of Kagato, she trusted him with too many secrets. The more he learned of our sisterhood the more he thirsted for power. Eventually he took advantage of Washu's trust and enslaved you both."

                Ryoko turned away from Tokimi. It was difficult to hear such painful memories simplified like text in a history book. Ryoko could spend months describing the suffering Kagato caused, but Tokimi managed to supply it in two breaths. "I know all of this, what's your point? Why would Mom be angry with Tsunami?"

                After a pause Tokimi continued, "I apologize for being inconsiderate to your experiences. I should have known better to speak lightly of such things. Washu made sure we both saw the result of our childish interventions. She forced images of your... life... into our minds, making us feel your pain almost as vividly as she did. We were fools to allow it to happen. My elder sister... I have so much to learn from her still.

                "Tsunami, however... I pity her for the shame she must feel. You see... Tsunami orchestrated Akara Naja's fate to meet with Washu's in that exact manner. She knew that her mind was capable of vast knowledge, but incapable of handling it. At the time Tsunami had no intention of using Naja the way she did, because Washu had not yet married Mikumo. Naja was there in case something was to happen. It did, and Tsunami panicked. 

                "When Tsunami learned that Washu would be using her own daughter as her representative, she further orchestrated Naja's fate into Kagato's, and so on. The reason for this was to make you the kind of woman that would instantly love Tenchi. Tenchi is a kind man, who is reserved as well as charming. He would attract a woman who isn't accustomed to kindness, one who was never allowed to have a free mind..."

                Tokimi drew closer to Ryoko and saw her holding back tears. She rested her hand on Ryoko's shoulder. Ryoko was startled, not because her hand felt unworldly, but because she didn't expect her to be solid. 

                Tokimi said, "I am sorry Ryoko. I'm sure Tsunami is sorry as well. When she has the courage to tell you so herself, I hope that you will forgive her."

                "Who are you? Why are you telling me this?" Ryoko said as stray tears escaped her eyes.

                Tokimi embraced Ryoko closely. "I am your Aunt, and I need your help."

                "I need to get a few things straight before you ask." Ryoko said into Tokimi's shoulder.

                "I will answer any question you have."

                Ryoko slowly released herself from her Aunt's arms whipped her eyes clear. "You said earlier that you and Tsunami and Mom love their... um... representatives. Is that different from the love I feel for Tenchi? I mean... why would Tsunami have me fall in love with Tenchi if she loved him?"

                Tokimi smiled and clasped her hand over Ryoko's cheek. "You're such a darling. For Tsunami and I, the love we feel for our representatives is mostly the love a mother has for her child. However, romantic love is not impossible. I am embarrassed as a Goddess to say this, but at times I feel jealousy for my Z's wife. When I have worked many cycles perfecting the form of my people, it is another woman who is allowed to love him. 

                "But if he survives this next contest, I will be united with him and we shall become one. He will add his wisdom of life to my own, and the next cycle's species will be closer to utopian life. It is a deity's version of intimacy." 

                Ryoko could see a blush threaten Tokimi's pale skin. She quickly continued with her explanation. "The situation is different with you and your Mother. Because you are her direct descendent it would be unlikely for her to love you as anything but a daughter. Being that she is my elder sister she is the first that Mother has allowed to live amongst humans and even bear children."

                "Why did she never tell me before?"

                "You'll have to ask her that yourself. This I do not know."

                Ryoko paced away holding her elbows timidly. "Then... my love for Tenchi, is it all the result of Tsunami's design? In reality would I have loved him at all?"

                "Ryoko, please do not think like that. We have a heavy burden to maintain mankind's free will and choice. You do love him, and it was your choice to love him. You are exactly who you're supposed to be, you're just... injured right now. Tenchi is the kind of man who can restore your true character. We can never change who people are, and we never steal one's free will. We are merely a guiding hand during this experiment. 

                "You do love Tenchi, Ryoko, but Tsunami wanted you to love him at a certain time in a certain way."

                Ryoko glared bitterly at the galaxy below her. "For what? So I can fight along side Tenchi to beat a man I've never met before? From what you've told me I wouldn't even want to. You love him so much he must be a nice guy."

                Tokimi embraced Ryoko again and Ryoko gasped, "....Er.. wha?"

                "Washu was right when she said you were cute. The contest will not be so prudent as to take place in an arena with three contestants waiting to face off. It will be hidden, even to my sisters and I. If it were as simple as a battle of strength then all of our races would be war-mongering brutes by now. There have been contests in the past where each of our representatives never meet one another, and they are competing in their own unique ways. Mother has also allowed allies between two of us to form, and there have been cycles where alliances bring a joint victory.

                "That is partly why I am talking to you now... You and Tenchi are currently bound and threaten my Z."

                Ryoko stepped away from Tokimi. "You're not suggesting I... leave Tenchi or something, are you?"

                "Of course not. Even if I did I could never possibly make you do such a thing."

                Ryoko's shoulders relaxed and she lowered her head. "Oh... okay..."

                "The reason I am speaking to you now are because of the events that will take place in the next three days. Several years ago I sensed Tsunami working hard to make quick alterations to events leading up to a moment three days from now. But she knew as well as I that the most we can alter in a matter of years is causing a gust of wind suddenly changing direction. However, when I found out what she was trying to prevent I understood why she bothered with a vain attempt such as this."

                "What's going to happen?" Ryoko wondered aloud.

                Tokimi smiled and said, "Patience. As I said before, we cannot change who people are. The aspect of Tenchi that draws trouble to him will bring about a tremendous mistake, and there is nothing Tsunami can do to stop it. She can cushion it as much as she can, but it will happen... unless by some miracle Tenchi chooses not to, humans can be quite unpredictable sometimes. The event is something that will challenge your love for him. You will reconsider your need for him and by the end of the fourth day you will decide whether to forgive him, or turn him away as he most certainly will deserve."

                Unsatisfied, Ryoko asked, "But... but what's going to happen?"

                "If I were to tell you I could threaten your free will. That is something that Washu would never forgive me for, and I would never forgive myself. Mother would punish me severely... I may lose my right to consciousness. What I can tell you is that the result of this contest may be decided as early as the fifth day.

                "There will be a companion there with you for this trial, one you will not expect. I sense that they will offer you great strength when all will seem lost. It would also be wise to consider a love outside of Tenchi. It may sound difficult to do, but when you're in the moment it will seem reasonable. Your fate will not be so simple as to forgive Tenchi or live in loneliness. There will be another for you. "

                "So... someone I know might suddenly fall in love with me?"

                "In a way... this will be quite unexpected for them as well. You will know it when it happens, and your decision will be your own."

                Ryoko looked away and scratched her chin. "Will it? Even though you've told me so much already? What if I ponder on this for the next three days and decide differently?"

                "How absorbent you are. Yes, the choice will still be your own. The more extreme a choice is the less and less power we have to alter it. If you were to decide to sit in a chair in a certain moment on a certain day, it would take a decade of preparation for us to change your posture when you sit. That is how subtle our guiding hand will feel.

                "There are some choices you will make in the future so extreme that I could tell you what you will decide now, and you will still decide the same. For this choice there is no need to worry. We have a way of... measuring the risk. And I am well within my limit."

                "If it doesn't make a difference, why tell me at all?"

                Tokimi smiled deeply. "The answer to that is the very first thing you must learn before you become a Goddess. A lesson best taught by your mother."

                *Ryoko: Mom? Oh... that reminds me.*

                Ryoko smiled and said, "I just remembered, I promised Washu that I would—"

                Tokimi ran to Ryoko and shook her shoulders. "Wait! Don't think about her consciously!"

                They both heard a small grunt beside them. Half of Washu had squeezed into Tokimi's space while the other half was still stuck on Earth.

                "You spoiled little brat! You've lost, now let me through already!"

                "What's going on!?" Ryoko frantically asked.

                Tokimi retreated several steps. "You thought about Washu. Normally she can't reach me here but if you think about her, she can use your mind as an anchor to pull herself here."

                She pointed an accusing finger at Washu, who was trying to squeeze her left leg from the closing gap. "It was you! You reminded her to think of you!"

                "Of course it was me! I'm not going to let a bitter little girl like yourself have your way with my poor impressionable daughter." Washu was finally on her feet, and she marched over to Ryoko. "C'mon Ryoko, the big scary lady wont bother you any more."

                But before Washu could pull on Ryoko's arm she jerked it away. "Wait a second now. You have a few things to explain first!"

                Confused, Washu said, "Me... explain something...?" She wasn't sure of what she was supposed to elaborate on, but when she heard her sister's soft giggling she knew instantly what had occurred. She slowly turned her head towards Tokimi and said, "You... did not... just do... what I think you did."

                "I did."

                Washu fought to compose herself. She stood up straight and straightened her clothes. While taking in a deep breath she counted to ten and exhaled. "Alright Ryoko lets go."

                "What?! Wait, you haven't explained anything yet!" hollered Ryoko.

                Tokimi giggled again.

                Washu glanced at Ryoko out of the corner of her. "Want an explanation?" She said frigidly, "Everything she said was true. Was there something else you wanted to know?"

                "But, you don't even know what she said!"

                "I don't need to. She is a Goddess, she cannot lie. She can withhold truths or deny someone knowledge, but she cannot lie. Whatever she said... it was the truth."

                "Then that means... you... you knew everything. Always." Ryoko spun away from Washu and dropped her head. Her tears could be heard tapping against the invisible floor. "Just take me home."

                Washu waved her hand and Ryoko vanished. "Start explaining yourself right now before I intervene with some deity muscle."

                "In many ways I respect you, sister, but in many ways I do not. You carry that child's feelings like it is a rock to heavy to hold. You care for your neighbor's children more than you care for her."

                Washu raised her voice, "Yesterday she was happy, and today she is not. Who is the one here being careless with her feelings?"

                "I should have expected that from you. Your simplified and narrow scope on life makes you appear unloving to those you love the most. Do you know she still grieves Tsunami's task or are you blind to even that?"

                Washu turned away, in the same mannerism of her daughter minutes ago. "Of course I know that. I still haven't forgiven her for Mikumo. Tsunami... Tsunami, Tsunami, Tsunami... she was so frightened. She even came to me shortly after Mikumo left me. She asked for my help. I turned her away, maybe I was a bit harsh the way I said it. I told her that there is no force in the universe that could bring my Ryoko and her Tenchi together.

                "This whole thing with Kagato... it was a reminder that she's only younger than me, but just as powerful. I don't mind Ryoko loving Tenchi, but how it came to be is what enrages me. But what can I do? Strain every last brain cell I have to improve her eating habits one hundred years from now? I wanted to wait for this contest to be over before I told her we were Goddesses. She would have at least lived a few hundred years happy and free."

                "You always did like to see how close to lying Mother would allow."

                Washu's knuckles turned white from holstering her anger. "You would have done the same! You're too far away to know what it's been like for me... to know what it's like to risen from sleep because of someone else's dream. I always think the nightmares are my own at first, but I soon realize they were Ryoko's screaming into my mind. My sleep is light from all the times I have gone to her and cradled her to sleep. I feel like a new mother again, because my baby is afraid of the dark and will not sleep during the night. Everyone in that house teases her for taking naps during the day. Damn them all."

Tokimi felt the truth in her words and saw no reason to fight them. Disagreements are quickly diffused in their sisterhood due to their perfect communication with one another. She knelt next to her sister and spoke softly, "It seems my attempt to help only worsened the situation."

                "Is that really the only reason you are here?"

                "This isn't my contest anymore. I failed when I allowed Tsunami to steal Mikumo from you. Mother showed me my error and I am humbled. I was only watching from afar, but Mother told me if I wished to, I could try and help. She didn't say anything else." After a short pause Tokimi added, "I also came to see if I could somehow spare my Z's life."

                Washu sighed, "Mother always has her lessons, even if your role in the cycle diminishes. It's all right, Tokimi, maybe you have wisdom Mother wants me to learn from. I have my lessons too. As for saving Z's life, I sense that you might have been successful."

                Tokimi nodded. "I was hoping that planting the truth in her now would increase her wisdom when the time came. I may have been cutting it close... Z and Ryoko will face in combat as soon as four thousand years."

                They both needed the subject to change, and they waited until the silence between them was closure enough. 

                Tokimi finally spoke. "Another reason I came is because of this event in three days... You wouldn't happen to know where it came from, do you? It would seem rather... convenient."

                Washu chuckled, "If you beat around the bush any more you'll tear it out of the ground. What did you say to Ryoko, by the way? She must have asked why you saw her tonight."

                "I only told her that her Mother should be teaching her the first lesson." Tokimi jabbed Washu in the side. 

                "Oh jeeze thanks a lot! It took you most of your mortal lifespan to understand the concept of fate. Now I've got to answer her millions and millions circular questions!" 

                Tokimi giggled. "Getting back to the subject... I must say you caught me off guard with this one. Once this cycle winds down you'll have to show me how you did it."

                "And reveal my best techniques?! Dream on." Washu laughed.

                A serious chord struck Washu, and she said, "I'm just a little worried... she'll know who the blame when it happens. She'll figure it out instantly; she's a very clever girl. She may even realize while it's happening. She won't forgive me for a long time. If I can't offer her comfort then who will she have?"

                Tokimi sighed and stood on her feet. "That is what I was hoping to inspire by telling her this. I know that talking to her has not altered her decision, but I was hoping it would add some comfort for her during this trial."  

                Washu smile and said, "Thank you. Now if only you cared for your people as much as you do for your kin." Washu glanced at Tokimi and saw her hiding a smile. "Well I guess I should be leaving now. I'll see you in five days!"

                "So confident?"

                "No I guess not... unless I cheated." Washu grinned.

                "Mother would slap your wrists so hard you'd wish you never had that physical body."

                With a smirk, Washu waved as she vanished and Tokimi followed shortly.


	2. First Day

Log recorded on Cycle 05.12.79.43

Author: Lady Washu. Lady Tokimi. Lady Tsunami.

Heading: History. Unlocked on Cycle 54.68.12.45

                Aeka had no difficulty rising from bed this morning. She felt unnaturally refreshed from last night's rest. When she was ready to start the day she was surprised to find Ryoko sipping warm tea Sasami had prepared.

                "Ryoko... I'm shocked to see you up this early." Aeka said, meaning no harm.

                Sasami said, "She was here before me, Aeka, I think she was up all night. She doesn't want to talk now; she said something about having a sore throat. So I made some tea, did you want some?"

                Aeka sat down across from Ryoko and smiled as Sasami handed her a teacup. Aeka was curious of Ryoko appearance. It exhausted her just to look at Ryoko. It made her wonder what could have happened to Ryoko that she would force herself awake for so long. "Ryoko..."

                Ryoko looked up, surprised to see Aeka in the room. She didn't recall hearing her enter. Ryoko responded but no sound came from her moving lips. She coughed and took another sip of tea before managing to say, "Yes?"

                *Aeka: She looks so helpless. The poor thing.*

                "Why don't you get some sleep?" Aeka said. Feeling out of character she added, "However am I supposed to properly detest your presence if you're always looking so miserable?"

                Ryoko smiled. She wanted to respond, but her voice wouldn't allow it. She and Washu had talked through the night after coming home from Tokimi's meeting. It took a long while but Washu finally convince her daughter that she truly had no control over what happened. She also told Ryoko that deep down she knew what the future held, but as a human amongst mortals using that knowledge for her own personal gain, no matter how necessary it may seem, would rob her of her free will and undo thousands of cycles of work.

                Ryoko silently mouthed "Thank you," before floating away.

                Suddenly Sasami threw her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly.

                "What's the matter Sasami?"

                "Thank you... for being nice to Ryoko. I feel so guilty... it helps..."

                Aeka was lost as to what to think. "What are you talking about? Why do you feel guilty?"

                Sasami went back to the kitchen counter and said, "Why don't you help me with breakfast? It'll be fun!"

                Aeka was about to try and find out why she was acting so strangely, but she then thought, 

                *Aeka: I should leave it alone. Maybe she'll tell me later.*

                Together Aeka and Sasami prepared a healthy breakfast for the wave of hungry household members that were sure to rise within the hour. The first ones to come were Nobuyuki and Mihoshi followed shortly be Katsuhito. By the time Tenchi arrived the meal was already underway.

                "Good morning everyone," Tenchi said.

                "Good morning," echoed back.

                "This looks great! You two are getting really good at this," Tenchi said to Aeka and Sasami. He then glanced around and asked, "Where's Ryoko? Is she sleeping in again?"

                Mihoshi chimed in through her stuffed face, "Ryoko just went to bed; at least I think so. They were talking in the living room—Washu and Ryoko I mean, when I came home from my late night patrol. I didn't mean to eavesdrop... but..."

                Mihoshi was cut off by a shattering dish Sasami dropped on her way to the kitchen sink. They all diverted their attention to her. "Oh... clumsy me... What were you saying, Mihoshi?"

                "Was I saying something? Oh right, Washu and Ryoko..."

                Tenchi swallowed his last bite and asked, "Yes? Was there something important?"

                "Well the thing was..."

                Very aware of where this was leading Katsuhito plainly asked, "What was it, Mihoshi?"

                "It was soooooooooooo cute to see Washu and Ryoko together like that!!"

                Nobuyuki almost choked on his sip of tea, but he managed to control himself. "It's a wonder... I've almost learned to expect it when you do that, Mihoshi."

                Mihoshi placed a finger on her chin and quizzed Nobuyuki with a glace, "Do what?"

                He smiled and said, "Never mind..."

                A beeping noise sounded off, and Mihoshi said, "Oh my gosh! I have to go!" She stood up quickly which cause her to knock over her tea cup. "I'm sorry... I'm so clumsy."

                Sasami smiled awkwardly. "It's okay, I'll take care of it for you."

                "Oh thank you so much! I really have to go! Today's call is really important!"

                She quickly exited the kitchen while stumbling over everything imaginable. When she reached the front door she pressed a button on her watch and a pink cube appeared with a 'pop'. She turned it once and was immediately dressed in her GP uniform. With one final wave she rushed out the door, making sure to trip on the frame.

                Four thousand kilometers from Jupiter, a Galaxy Police relay station prepared its platform for Mihoshi's ship. It was Wednesday again, and it was time for her weekly report. However, this time her report was more pressing than usual.

                When her ship completed the docking sequence with the relay station, Mihoshi entered her passwords and waited for her superior officer, Nobeyama, to appear.

                "Good day Detective Mihoshi, I trust there are no damage reports to make this time?"

                "No sir!" Mihoshi chirped.

                He choked on the tea he was drinking. "What?"

                "There are no damage reports to make. I tried my best to not be clumsy this week!"

                Nobeyama stuttered out, "Of course! Keep up the good work. What do you have to report today, instead?"

                "Well..."

                "Mihoshi, I am noticing you haven't transmitted your report yet. What's the matter?"

                Mihoshi glanced both ways, as if worried someone might be listening in. "It's a secret," she whispered. 

                Nobeyama was bewildered, "What do you mean your report is a secret? Mihoshi stop this foolishness right now!"

                Mihoshi fidgeted with her pink cube, "Sir, four years ago you told me to tell you that when I finished my objected I was supposed to say my report was a secret."

                Nobeyama blinked as memory of a five-minute conversation from four years ago came back to him. "Oh! Oh, right... THAT report... Give me one second to prepare."

                His picture faded and then reappeared. Now the lights in his office were darkened. The screen was black except for a white light that illuminated his face. "Alright Mihoshi, please send your report, and proceed with an aural report."

                "Okay!" Mihoshi stood straight and saluted her superior officer. "First Class Detective Mihoshi now reporting on Miss Ryoko and Miss Washu! The objectives given to me were to observe the targets and try to find evidence of possible conspiracies against the galaxy's safety. I have that evidence!"

                Nobeyama picked up the pages from her report and began scanning them. "Go on."

                "I have found that Miss Ryoko and Miss Washu are not a threat to the galaxy." Mihoshi lowered her salute and sat back down in her chair.

                "Detective Mihoshi, you need to explain the evidence you found to support that!"

                Mihoshi poked her index fingers together and said, "Well... it's embarrassing."

                "Mihoshi you know how this works. If you don't give an aural report, your written report will become liable for falsehoods."

                "Well... there's just so much to say!"

                Nobeyama noted that her report was still being printed: one hundred fifty two pages and counting. "Dear lord Mihoshi, what did you find out?! You haven't submitted a report this big since... since Kagato!!" Nobeyama threw down the first dozen pages of intro and began reading the deeper parts her report furiously. 

                "Well ok, if you insist," said Mihoshi. She continued as her commander raked through her report. "It's really simple, actually. Miss Washu is also Lady Washu—you know... the goddess. Well Lady Washu said to Miss Ryoko—or is it Lady Ryoko now? I'm not sure... which do you think be right to say, Miss Ryoko or Lady Ryoko?"

                "MIHOSHI IS THIS SOME KIND OF A JOKE?!"

                "Oh, gosh no! I think name titles are very important, especially when giving the proper respect to a goddess. Anyway, I'll call her Miss Ryoko for now since she's not a goddess yet. What Lady Washu told Miss Ryoko was that a goddess couldn't lie, even if she wanted to. It's somehow impossible for them to. I couldn't get any more information about it, I'm sorry. If I asked her openly why she couldn't lie I think my mission wouldn't be very secretive anymore."

                "—this says that Washu is just like Tsunami!!! And who is this Tokimi you keep mentioning!?! Mihoshi this is all impossible!"

                "They're sisters. Please, this is really hard to do so pleeeeeaaaase don't interrupt me. When I found out that Lady Washu can't lie I decided to just walk up to her and ask her if she was going to take over the galaxy. She said 'of course not', and then we laughed about it. It was sooo funny!" Mihoshi giggled at the thought.

                Nobeyama was gasping deeply into a paper bag. Seeing that her report was causing him distress, Mihoshi tried to explain herself further. "Okay, now I know it was kind of weird to ask Lady Washu like that. It was really direct, don't you think? But I don't think it—"

                "Forget it! I don't care! If even half of these things you write about were true... it would dismantle millions of religions across the galaxy. You've practically defined the meaning of life, and proven it as fact!!" Nobeyama shredded pages concerning Washu and her sisters.

                "Hey! That took me a whole fifteen minutes to write! That wasn't very nice." Mihoshi pouted.

                "I'm sorry Mihoshi. Even if it were true we cannot let that kind of information out, at least not in our lifetimes."

Puzzled, Mihoshi asked, "But what if someone asks? I just can't lie to them."

"Remember how I told you sometimes we need to pretend certain things never happened? How it's not really lying, it's just pretend."

Mihoshi nodded, "Oh! You mean like how you told me to pretend I never read and memorized classified documents that I accidentally found? Or how I was supposed to pretend I never assassinated that one evil governor man? Or how I was supposed to pretend I never heard you talking naughty to a lady on the phone that wasn't your wife—"

"YES!!! LIKE THOSE TIMES!"

                "Oh okay!" Mihoshi saluted the screen once more and said, "I am now officially pretending this talk never happened."

                "Excellent. Thank you Mihoshi."

                She waved and said, "Okay, bye-bye now!"

                His fist slammed down onto the screen. "You're not going anywhere just yet! You still need to verify the other hundred pages you have written here."

                Mihoshi normally would have cut him off by now and already be on her way, however her commander had more control due to the circumstances, and he locked her ship in place.

                "Hey! I can't move! Let me go, I'm so hungry and lunch will be ready soon."

                "No Mihoshi! We have to start over from the beginning, because you haven't given me an aural report yet."

                Mihoshi blinked twice and said, "Oh, I get it now! I haven't said anything to you yet. Very clever, sir!"

                Nobeyama sigh deeply, trying to give his patience more life. "Okay Mihoshi, do you have any evidence at all to verify Washu and Ryoko are not conspiring in the same fashion as Kagato?"

                Mihoshi blushed and looked away, "Well... it's embarrassing."

                "Yes, we already got past this part. But you have to say it. And no shortcuts this time!"

                She gulped and said, "Alright, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, because it's private. We'll the best evidence I have to give is that... Lady Washu- er, I mean Miss Washu is Miss Ryoko's Mother."

                Nobeyama scratched his chin, "Well, we already knew this... sort of. We know that Washu created Ryoko, and if you wanted to stretch it you might be able to say she was her mother."

                Mihoshi stood and shook her head. "No, no, no! You don't understand! I mean she really is her Mom! She does Mom stuff! Please don't make me say any more out loud! It's too embarrassing."

                Nobeyama laughed out loud, "Come now Mihoshi, Ryoko is the most destructive weapon in the galaxy save for Yosho who defeated her. Everyone knows she's just a weapon."

                Mihoshi started to cry. "That's not true! She's very nice to me and everyone else and she would never hurt anyone on purpose unless they were evil and she even cleans the toilet sometimes and she always shares her sake and she really, really likes Tenchi and—"

                "Mihoshi! Please restrain yourself! You're still missing the point; I need evidence for the things you said."

                She crossed her arms tight and plopped back into her seat. "I won't say it. I refuse to! It would be rude to Miss Washu and Miss Ryoko."

                Nobeyama was in a difficult position. He needed an aural verification not simply because it was protocol, but because he knew there was an audience of state of the art lie detecting computers. "Mihoshi... please work with me here. If what you say is true about Ryoko and Washu, then wouldn't you want to prove it to everyone?"

                Mihoshi said nothing.

                Nobeyama scratched his forehead. "Okay, look. How about I read some of this report to myself. And then I'll ask some questions, alright?"

                She glared at him as mean as her face would allow, "If only you don't ask embarrassing questions!"

                "I'll do my best..."

                Nobeyama began reading and silence took over the ship's cockpit. A few moments passed and Nobeyama said, "Mihoshi... um... can you explain... uh..."

                "Yes?"

                "Wait, never mind. I'll just keep going."

                Mihoshi stomach grumbled and she said, "Er, Okay..."

                An hour passed as Nobeyama read what her report from front to back, as well as re-reading certain parts several times over. When he finally raised his eyes off the page to look into the view screen, Mihoshi was passed out with hundreds of potato chip bags crumpled up around her. 

                Nobeyama cleared his throat loudly, but she didn't stir. "Mihoshi!"

                She snapped to full attention. "I'm up! I wasn't sleeping! I swear!"

                "Never mind that. I want to ask you some questions about this report. I'll try to keep it simple."

                "Alright..."

                "In the beginning you talk about how she... um... loves this man named Tenchi. Is he the same Tenchi Masaki who defeated Kagato several years ago?"

                "Yup!"

                "Can you tell me about how she... she um..."

                Mihoshi tilted her head, "She what?"

                "About how she has feelings for him."

                "Well, I don't know... Tenchi is a really nice guy. I mean, he's really nice to me too, and a long time ago I used to have a little crush on him. He IS very nice, after all."

                "Anything else?"

                She placed a finger on her chin and said, "We'll I think a long time ago, before that evil Kagato came, I over heard Miss Ryoko talking to Miss Aeka about seeing Tenchi when he was still a kid. She said that... well, didn't you read this part already? I'm sure I wrote it."

                "Yes you did. Thank you, I just needed to confirm it. You've said enough. Now I'd like to ask about Miss Aeka and, uh... Miss Ryoko. How do you explain their fighting? They've come close to leveling mountainsides just because one steals a cookie from the other."

                Mihoshi giggled, "Oh that's just them playing. They act all grouchy and mean but they never hurt each other, in fact they've saved each other's life many times! The problem is that Miss Aeka likes Tenchi too, so are like rivals."

                Nobeyama nodded. "I see. It also looks like you have some of your opinions here as well. Care to explain?"

                Mihoshi blushed. "Well, it's nothing really. It's just some things I've noticed... that's all. You see Tenchi is super shy, and he never tells either Miss Aeka or Miss Ryoko how he feels about them. You understand how that can feel, right? I mean... you have your wife and that nice lady on the phone that you like. Did you ever show them that you like them and they give no answer?"

                With a stiff smile he said, "Yes Mihoshi, I know what that's like, now get to the point."

                "It's just that Miss Ryoko and Miss Aeka have been showing Tenchi affection for four years! And he hasn't said anything to them about his feelings!! That gets really frustrating, and it makes a person want to give up chasing them. That's why I don't have a crush on Tenchi anymore. He's too shy for me. I'd like him if he acted like his dad more, but that's just me.

                "But the crazy thing is both Ryoko and Aeka refuse to be turned away. I know they both care about him SO much, but they're people too, and they probably have their feelings hurt all the time because of how shy he is. So I really couldn't figure out why they stuck around."

                Nobeyama sighed and said, "Yes, yes, but please try and tie all of this in with why Ryoko is not a threat."

                Mihoshi stuck out her tongue. "Alright Mr. 'I-want-to-skip-all-the-important-details'. The reason Ryoko doesn't want to take over the galaxy is because I think her and Aeka are actually really good friends, and friends just don't try and destroy your Government. That just wouldn't be very nice! Of course that's just what I think, though..."

                "You just finished saying how much they hated each other!"

                She held up her hand for silence, "Let me finish, silly. When Miss Ryoko and Miss Aeka get really depressed from being ignored so much they usually end up drunk and sympathizing with each other's pain. Then somehow one of them will say something wrong... a fight will break out... their rivalry will be refreshed... and the next day they'll be once again inspired to chase after Tenchi to their fullest."

                A moment passed and he said, "That's it?"

                "Yup."

                "Why did you write this in the report? It has absolutely nothing to do with Ryoko's moral grade!"

                Mihoshi scratched her head. "I'm not sure, sir. I wrote that down because I thought... I thought it might be more convincing if you knew that Ryoko was in love, and she had a good friend, and that her mom is really nice. All at the same time, too! I don't know anything fancy about moral 'whatever-you-said', but I do know that I wouldn't throw that away just to be super powerful!"

                Nobeyama was silenced. Suddenly Mihoshi's endless rambling fit together into a single solid argument for Ryoko's benefit. "So... Ryoko has personal interests in persons that would directly oppose any actions against the galaxy's safety. Wow... Mihoshi, that's... intelligent."

                She giggled and said, "You're just saying that!"

                He cleared his throat and refocused himself. "Now Mihoshi, although that is a somewhat convincing argument we have to remember that Kagato was a trusted and respected man at the Science Academy before he became a pirate."

                "Oh, was he? Oh my, that changes everything, doesn't it..."

                "Good lord..."

                Mihoshi frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to avoid talking about the embarrassing stuff."

                Nobeyama lightly nodded. "I know, Mihoshi. I read your whole report. It is... embarrassing."

                Mihoshi again poked her index fingers together. "Kagato was such a mean person. And poor Miss Ryoko... she was only a little kid. Please, please, please don't make me say that part out loud."

                "Well... can you try and generalize?"

                Mihoshi looked confused yet again, "Generalize? You mean like telling the story how a general would? I don't see how that could help..."

                "Oh forget it. Listen, I'll take this to my superior officer whom I report to and ask him if an exception can be made this one time. Considering the contents of this report, and how you're information is always one hundred percent accurate, there's a very small chance he'll be able to look past this."

                Mihoshi clasped her hands together. "Oh wow! Can you really do that?"

                "I'll try. But if he refuses I'll have to have that aural report from you. So in the mean time I would suggest you find out what it means to generalize a story."

                Mihoshi stood and saluted one last time. "Will do, sir! I'll start working on impersonating a general right away!"

                "Mihoshi... before you do that please get a dictionary and look up the word generalize."

                "Yes sir!"

                "That is all. You are dismissed."

                The screen with Nobeyama vanished and Mihoshi sat back into her chair. Relieved that her hardest mission to date had finally been complete, Mihoshi detached her ship from the relay station and she headed back to Earth.

                Several hours earlier, just after Mihoshi made her leave, breakfast continued like ordinary.

                Nobuyuki spoke up, "Oh Tenchi, I just remembered, your old school friend Amagasaki called you last night. Maybe you should call him back, eh?"

                Tenchi almost laughed, "That screwball? I haven't seen him in years. That sounds like a good idea. Only... I don't think I remember his phone number."

                Nobuyuki wiped his hands and prepared to excuse himself from the table. "He left a number, but it's in my office. Come on I'll show you."

                Tenchi left with Nobuyuki, and they climbed the stairs to the third floor. However, when Nobuyuki reached his office door, he realized Tenchi was no longer behind him. Looking back he saw Tenchi's head poking around the stairway corner. Nobuyuki said, "Tenchi! What are you doing, boy? Come over here!"

                Tenchi raved, "SHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

                "What's wrong with you?" Nobuyuki started his way towards Tenchi but stopped when he saw what troubled him. Ryoko lay across one of the oversized carrot pillows near the windows. She was fast asleep.

                Tenchi whispered to him as loud as he could, "She'll wake up! She always does. Can you bring me the number instead? I'll call downstairs."

                Nobuyuki adjusted his glasses and said, "Tenchi, my foolish son..." He walked over to Tenchi and clenched a death grip onto his ear. Nobuyuki dragged him over to Ryoko and he struggled to suppress a squeal of agony.

                "What are you doing?! Are you insane?"

                "I regret not teaching you this sooner, if I had known you could not learn this on your own I would have done this long ago. You are afraid of Ryoko and it's time to be a man!"

                "You're out of your mind—"

                Nobuyuki brought his fist down upon his son's head. "Shut up and listen. Look at Ryoko, Tenchi. Is she not one of the most beautiful women you have ever met?"

                Tenchi swallowed the rock in his throat and gave Ryoko a full glance. Her legs were pulled in where her hands rested on her knees. From this angle her curves never seemed so perfect. Her night gown was simple and modest, but the folds in the cloth betrayed her lines for all to see. There was no part of her body where Tenchi could divert his eyes to escape overwhelming rapture. Even her hands, as honest as they were, appeared far too magnificent for someone such as himself to behold. When his gaze finally reached her face he tore his view away to protect her celestial beauty from his selfish gawking. 

                Tenchi slowly looked back to his father and said, "She's... beautiful..."

                Nobuyuki placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "Then why are you so afraid of her? You treat her like a disgusting hag whenever she approaches you."

                "It's not like that!" Tenchi hissed, "I am ashamed of myself. She's a good person, but the reactions I feel when she gets too close disrespect her. She deserves someone who will value her for who she is."

                "Is that not you, Tenchi? All of the women in this house are good people who are beautiful, but to you Ryoko is the most beautiful. Why hide your feelings from her?"

                "Wait a second now. I never said anything about choosing one over the other," said Tenchi.

                Nobuyuki twisted Tenchi's arm and he whimpered in pain. "You can't fool your old man, boy. My many years of wisdom have shown me who you've really cared about this whole time."

                "Ouch, ouch! How did you figure it out?!"

                A stubby grin crossed Nobuyuki's face. "Simple! The first week Ryoko came to our house you stole my Polaroid camera and took pictures of her in the bath, they were so easy to find I stumbled across them in your room on accident. But things became clearer when the trash in your room started overflowing with wads of used tissues. Really Tenchi, I'm ashamed as a father that you could think of a more discreet way to jerk off."

                Tenchi's head dropped and streams of self pity gushed from his eyes. "Why me?"

                Nobuyuki spun Tenchi around and stood him upright. "There is no shame in finding a woman beautiful. If you had lusted after her like a fool in the first week she was here you would have found yourself at the end of my fists. Now there are all these other women here but you still whack off to pictures of Ryoko. Remember that stupid old saying 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'? It still has meaning."

                Nobuyuki slapped Tenchi hard on the back. "You see, my boy? Men are too stupid to make a sophisticated decision about who we love. We have to act on instinct. Women are far too smart for us to keep up. If you asked Ryoko why she loves you she would explain with rational reasons. But all we can see is a beautiful woman."

                Tenchi sighed and said, "You sound like a romantic pervert..."

                Before he could say more Ryoko shifted and blinked her eyes open. "Tenchi...?"

                Tenchi spine went rigid and he looked to his father for help. Tenchi saw him hiding behind the corner flashing a thumbs-up as he snuck down the stairs. Tenchi silently cursed the old man with the foulest words he knew.

                Ryoko giggled quietly, still straining to speak. "Usually I'm the one watching you sleep."

                An awkward grin took him and he said, "Uh... yeah... just passing by really. You should get some more sleep. I heard from Mihoshi that you had a long day yesterday."

                Ryoko smiled. "That's odd, first Aeka and now you. Everyone is being so nice to me today."

                Tenchi's grin faded and he watched her fall back to sleep. He looked over her again but this time not so timidly. It didn't occur to Tenchi that he was staring until the foot he was leaning on fell asleep. He silently made his leave.

Back in the kitchen Sasami saw Tenchi rush out the front door. "Oh he forgot his lunch. I'll go take it to him."

                "Alright Sasami," Aeka replied.

                She was the only one left from this morning's meal, since Katsuhito was off to the shrine, Nobuyuki to work, and Mihoshi in space. Soon Washu stumbled into the kitchen looking for something to quiet her hammering stomach.

                "Good morning Washu. Is there something I can get for you? You must be tired after talking so long with Ryoko last night," said Aeka, looking to start up some dialogue. 

                "Wha—?"

                "Mihoshi told us you two had a heartwarming chat. If it isn't too personal I wouldn't mind knowing what you talked about." Aeka said with a giggle.

                Washu's eyebrow twitched. "The rate news spreads in this house would put an ansible* to shame." Washu shrugged, figuring it was harmless.

                Aeka hastily prepared a quick meal for Washu and placed it before her. "So what did you two talk about? If it was gossip do tell!"

                Washu laughed and said, "No, no... It wasn't anything like that. I'm afraid it's something a little too personal to share right now."

                Aeka walked back to the kitchen sink. "I see..." She then thought,

                *Aeka: Hopefully she was trying to talk sense into that monster she calls her daughter.*

                She brushed the thought away feeling it was inappropriate at the time. But again she thought,

                *Aeka: It would be a relief to know that at least someone is checking Ryoko's behavior.*

                Aeka couldn't help but to say, "Perhaps Ryoko will finally learn some manners from your example. That would certainly raise a burden on us all."

                Restrained, Washu said, "You shouldn't say such things."

                Aeka poured herself a cup of tea and sat across of Washu. "I've always wanted to ask you something, Washu. Why do you let her rampage the way she does? Doesn't it bother you to see her act so shamefully?"

                "It makes her happy. I only want her to be happy." Not feeling so hungry anymore, Washu stood and took her plate to the sink.

                "But it's at other's expense! She won't stop teasing Tenchi and all she does is loaf about the house like some sort of freeloader."

                Washu smiled bitterly, "Aeka... if only you could hear yourself. Those are simple pleasures and they make her happy. You say her most grievous crime is teasing Tenchi? Then let it be so, she is only a child. I encourage her to—"

                "What?" Aeka stood in shock. Fighting to keep her voice down, Aeka said, "You encourage her? Ryoko is not some harmless child. I shouldn't have to remind you of how she helped Kagato pillage the galaxy. And considering the kind of pervert that man was I think it's obvious that he left his mark on her. Since she parades about the house like some kind of... like some kind of whore!"

                "Aeka!" Washu's glare cut across the room. 

                Aeka was just as shocked as Washu. "... I'm sorry. I don't know what possessed me to say that. I'm so ashamed..."

                Washu raised an eyebrow and thought,  
  
                *Washu: Are you making her say these things, Tokimi?*

                *Tokimi: She would have said this to you tomorrow on her own, after a fight with Ryoko. But that would have been too late. I am simply speeding up her maturation, which is my job if you don't remember.*

                *Washu: I wonder what Tsunami will say about you maturing her people for her.*

                *Tokimi: She is too absorbed with Tenchi to care right now.*

                *Washu: I know what you're trying to make me do. You want me to frighten her. And what if I chose not to?*

                *Tokimi: You are far too arrogant with your gift of a physical body. You would deprive yourself of free will before you left the room. Act accordingly, mortal, or suffer like Kagato did.*

                *Washu: You're good at scaring children, you ought to break that habit one day.*

                Aeka sat back down and took another sip of tea. "I suppose it wouldn't be her fault entirely. But wouldn't her condition be all the more reason for your strict intervention? Without proper guidance she may come to think how she acts is acceptable behavior."

                Washu strained to place herself back into the moment and remember that she was supposed to be angry with Aeka not Tokimi. After all, they were Aeka's words and thoughts, and they would have come out on their own eventually.

                She said, "Aeka... I think her behavior is quite acceptable."

                "What? Acceptable? That's absurd." cried Aeka.

                Washu turned her back to Aeka and tried to busy herself with dirty dishes. "Please, Aeka, don't talk about this anymore."

                "I am going to talk about it! It's important to me. There are rare moments when Ryoko isn't acting like a brat where I can actually see myself enjoying her company. It would seem like such a waste if she acted like a beast for the rest of her life."

                Washu rubbed her temples. "Aeka, if that's what you're after then go talk to her about it. She's a lot more reasonable then you give her credit for."

                "She doesn't listen to me! She never has, I'm surprised you didn't notice already. I never thought it was my place to try to civilize her. That job is usually reserved for her mother, but you don't seem to care about her."

                Washu shut her eye and covered them with her hand. She refused to let Aeka make her cry. She knew they were words spoken out of ignorance, and her pride held her together. "Aeka, you have no idea what you're talking about. You couldn't possibly understand what it's like to be her mother."

                With wide eyes Aeka said, "Is that it then? Is that the reason for you lack of involvement? Ryoko may be daunting at times but it's no reason to give up on her!"

                Washu spun to face Aeka, "Give up on her? Like the way your people did? Like how Yosho was ordered to lock her in a cave? After he took her gems she stopped attacking, only because she had no idea who Yosho was and why she was fighting him. From her perspective she woke up from a deep sleep and found herself being imprisoned for destroying a planet she had never heard of."

                Startled, Aeka said, "... I .. well—"  

                Washu carried on. "He had every intention of returning to Jurai but he pitied Ryoko. The farmers wanted revenge for their destroyed crops and they all sought personal vengeance on Ryoko. Yosho chased most of them away, but a few slipped by. They used her until their bodies gave out, leaving them weak enough for Yosho to make an example of in the nearby village. After that he was too embarrassed to return to Jurai."

                *Tokimi: Bravo! Encore!*

                Disturbed, Aeka quietly asked, "W-what? ... U-Used her? She was alive in the cave?"

                "Of course! She doesn't need supplements to sustain herself. I would never allow her such an imperfection in my own daughter. Her prison trapped her by growing tree roots through her body, but it certainly didn't kill her. She was frozen in place, and over a period of seven hundred years her muscles deteriorated from lack of use. That's why she looked dead when Tenchi found her.

                "Part of the reason she hates me so much is because I made her strong enough to survive things that would kill anyone else. Even in the winter when the cave was cold enough freeze her solid she still didn't die. During those years I would have given anything to let her die... I would have killed her myself if it were possible."

                Aeka covered her hand over her mouth. 

                Washu turned back to the dirty dishes. "Lord... listen to me carry on about my problems like some senile hag. This is why no one knows about it, because it sounds like I'm only after your pity if I speak it out loud. Ryoko hates it when people think of her life as a sob story."

                "Washu... I'm so sor—"

                "No! I'm sorry if I sounded like I was blaming you, I was only angry. Don't apologize, you haven't done anything wrong. You wanted to know why I don't scold her, we'll I'm telling you. If I did it would only push her further away."

                Aeka's normal stubbornness was waved, and she said, "I didn't know... At least let me apologize for speaking out of line."

                "No Aeka. You have legitimate complaints. She can be a real hell raiser, and she does it on purpose. I keep making excuses for her and I never let her take responsibility for herself. I shouldn't have put that on you."

                Aeka quietly sat back down. After a moment she said, "Is that what you were talking about last night?"

                Washu sighed. Too tired to dodge her question she said, "Yes, that's one of the things we talked about. She blames me for a lot of her suffering. I don't mind, because some of it is my fault."

                Aeka said, "I understand why you didn't want to talk about this..." She suddenly realized the folly she pointed out. "... Oh, Washu I'm so sorry. You said you didn't want to talk but I forced you to. Can't you let me apologize for that?"

                Washu sighed and said, "Alright, apology accepted." After a pause she added, "It's strange though, I'm surprised you're the one talking to me about this, and not Tenchi."

                "Why do you say that?"

                Washu faced Aeka and leaned against the counter. "Without all those nasty side comments you pretty much said to me, 'make Ryoko play nice, I want to be her friend.'"

                 Aeka laughed, "How in Lord's name did you derive such a statement? And what makes you think Tenchi would have been interested in her like that?"

                Not wanting to engage her in such a volatile subject, Washu said, "Okay, okay! I recall that last statement. You never heard me say it. Still, it may be a hell of a stretch, but you might say your interest is... touching."

                Aeka crossed her arms and turned her head. "Now you're just teasing me."

                Washu laughed and wiped her hands dry. "Where do you think Ryoko gets it from? She learns from the best, of course."

                "Oh you're terrible! Right after you made me feel so bad for her, too!"

                "Alright, alright, I'll stop." On her way out she said, "Thanks for the breakfast."

                Aeka thought this curious, since Washu never ate her food. "Uh, my pleasure." When she was gone Aeka shook her head. She gathered the remaining plates and took them to the sink. She started thinking about what Washu said. Aeka knew that Kagato was an awful man, and that the cave must have been unbearable, but she never carried her thoughts any deeper than that. It never occurred to her that the details made any kind of difference. 

                Aeka left the kitchen sink and went to the living room, promising herself that she'd finish the dishes later. She didn't want to start on a different chore, nor did she want to relax a moment in front of the TV. Undecided, she sat down on the couch. The things Washu told her were distracting her so much that she couldn't focus on anything else. The words repeated over and over in her mind, sounding more disturbed each time. Without realizing it, she quietly spoke, "They used her..."

While all of this transpired Sasami was bringing Tenchi his lunch. Once she caught up with him she saw no harm in tagging along.

                "Gonna' plant more carrots, Tenchi?" she asked.

                "Actually I think I'm all done with carrots for now. I was going to plant other things... the things we used to eat before Ryo-Ohki arrived, that is." When he realized how far she was following, he asked, "Were you planning on coming along?"

                Sasami looked behind her back at the house. "Yeah, I don't think I should go inside right now."

                "Uh... alright." 

                *Tenchi: I forgot to call Amagasaki.*

                "Oh man, I forgot about something. Sasami, can you wait right here for me?"

                Sasami smiled and said, "Sure!"

                Tenchi dashed back to the house and into the main room. Once he made it to the third floor he stepped lightly past Ryoko and into Nobuyuki's office. The paper with Amagasaki's phone number didn't take long to find. It was on the top of a stack of papers near the phone. Tenchi dialed the number and listened for and answer.

                "Hello?" spoke a familiar voice.

                "Amagasaki? It's me, Tenchi!"

                "Tenchi! It's good to hear from you. I've been meaning to call you for a while."

                "Oh yeah? What's going on?"

                Tenchi winced at his friend's gaudy laugh. "Something you wont believe happened to me. I can't explain over the phone, you'll have to see it for yourself. How soon can you come by?"

                "Tomorrow, I guess. Where should I meet you?"

                "You remember that arcade we sometimes went to in Okayama?"

                "Yeah"

                "Be there by noon tomorrow. What I have in store for you..." said Amagasaki before erupting into laughter again.

                "I'll just have to wait and see. Bye."

                "Seeya!"  
                Tenchi set down the phone and sighed. "What could that bonehead have that's so interesting?" Tenchi shrugged it off and he reached for the door.

                As he exited, he noticed an unmade futon nudged into the far corner of the office. Curiosity forced him to see why a bed was in such a strange place. In the knotted sheets Tenchi found a small book with doodles on the cover. It was unmistakably Mihoshi's pad, and inside it looked like it was some kind of journal. 

                Tenchi endeavored to put the pad back exactly the way he found it, adjusting the sheets to look undisturbed. He didn't fret over it too much. Mihoshi wasn't the kind of person to become defensive about that sort of thing. However it was clear that Mihoshi used this space as her room, and Tenchi's inherent curiosity kept him from leaving uninformed.

                "Besides," he said to convince himself, "it's not like dad doesn't invade my privacy all the time."

                He went back to his father's desk and tried to find something significant, but of course, it was mostly supplies for drawing architect designs. A stack of books caught Tenchi's eye and he noticed one was out of place amongst the other design books. It was glossy black with no title to be seen, it also appeared to have been opened recently.

                There was a ribbon in the middle and Tenchi flipped to that page. It had yesterday's date marked at the top and a several paragraphs followed.

                "That stupid old man keeps a journal too?"

                Shocked at his father's sudden depth in character, Tenchi considered hard if it was worth it to steal something so personal as the private thoughts of a journal entry. When he remembered how Nobuyuki had destroyed his pride earlier that morning, he started reading.

_April 14th, 1996_

_I must start today's entry with a note of guilt. Even though I tried to design this new home with as much space possible, Mihoshi is still without a room of her own. She sleeps in my office every night that she is here and it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the fact that I am a man. My dear dear Kiyone, if you can hear me in heaven know that I still love you with every thread of my heart. Please forgive me for taking an interest in this woman. It is only because I am still in a physical body here on Earth that my thoughts stray from you! If I could I would join you in heaven, but I must finish my work here first._

_                Sometimes when I am working she will change clothes without warning. After the third time I asked her why she unnecessarily exposed herself for me. (I regret that it wasn't after the first time) What she said was just as funny as it was humiliating. She said she was doing it because she knew I liked to peep at girls, and it was the least she could do for me for letting her stay here. I tried my best to explain the peeping thing was just a game I played, and that I wasn't actually such a dirty man. I think she understood, but she did not stop!_

_                In fact it became worse. She began offering sexual favors for letting her stay! I am becoming old now and I do not love this woman, I could not allow her to make a commodity of herself. I tried my best to explain this to her, but I am not sure how much she understood; her mind can be a bit aloof at times. I told her if she really felt the need to assist me, she could donate any amount of money whenever she could spare it. Thankfully she agreed. _

_                This whole incident has made me more aware of our son's foolishness, Kiyone. In my case I did not love Mihoshi, but I know he loves Ryoko. I know you always used to say a woman should be valued by her skills in the world and not her skills with the men, and so you probably would not approve of Ryoko. But I would like to argue that she has begun her childhood as an adult, and that she only wants to play in the best way she knows how. If only Tenchi would realize that there would be no harm in indulging her. It would not be a lie of how he felt for her either. I have done as you wished and raised him to value a woman with an intelligent mind, but you must understand the exception that must be made here. But before he could do that he would have to tell poor Aeka the truth, and that is a task no man is brave enough to undertake._

                Tenchi placed the ribbon back into the book and slowly put it back into the stack. Twice in the same morning Nobuyuki has harassed his son about his love life when just yesterday he had not spoken a word of it. He found it coincidental that the entry he read coincided with his earlier lecture so well. But he brushed the thought away.

                He left the office and went to the head of the stairs. Before he reached them he stopped to look at Ryoko again. Without realizing it he found himself kneeling beside her. His father's words echoed in his mind and he wondered why he always pushed Ryoko away. 

                He leaned in closer to see her clearly. He came so close that if Ryoko were awake she would feel his breath across her neck. Her smell felt soft on his nose and his absorbed as much as he could. He had never seen her face at this proximity and the familiar image looked new, as if he were just now seeing her for the first time. Unfortunately, he was bound to only one side, since she rested her head against the pillow. 

                He silenced his body and enjoyed the sound of her breathing. He decided that he could not leave her until he saw the other side of her face. His hand lifted on its own and steadily approached her chin. The very tips of his fingers made contact with her skin. So many times had Ryoko touched him skin to skin, but this was different. This one square centimeter of touching was initiated by Tenchi to an unknowing Ryoko, and because of that the sensation was superior.

Using perspiration as his vehicle, Tenchi slid his fingers further up her cheek. He monitored her breathing relentlessly for signs of awakening. Tenchi slowly lifted his hand and turned Ryoko's face to his. When she came into full view he couldn't help but clasp her cheek in his hand. Even though he had promised himself to leave once capturing her entire face, he could not pull himself away. 

                His hand sheepishly drifted down her neck and rested on her collar bone. Her gown was loose about her and her breasts appeared as an obtainable destination. Once he adjusted his angle to see he faltered for a moment and though whether or not he should even be going this far without Ryoko's consent. He knew that if she were awake she would be inviting him, but right now she lay unaware. Tenchi might even go as far to think that she was vulnerable to him. His hand trembled as a result of conflicting thoughts. Suddenly above all other thoughts one range out the loudest.

                *Tenchi: Sasami's been waiting for me this entire time! She'll start to wonder if I don't go now.*

                He lifted himself from her, making sure not to put pressure onto her as he left. He tip toed down the stairs and started his way towards the door. Noticing Aeka sitting on the couch unmoving, he stopped to investigate.

                He stood in front of Aeka but she didn't notice him. "Aeka."

                There was no response. Her eyes were planted onto the floor, so he knelt to see her. She looked as if something was upsetting her. He said, "Aeka?" and touched her shoulder.

                Aeka jumped. "Oh! Tenchi, you startled me."

                "Are you all right?"

                "Uh... yes, I'm fine thank you. I was just a little lost in thought."

                Tenchi asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

                Aeka diverted her eyes and said, "I'm not feeling well, but I'll be alright." She stood and walked past him.

                Tenchi watched her disappear back into the kitchen. He wanted to try and remember to talk to her about this later on, but for now Sasami was waiting. "Al-alright! I'll be going then!"

                He left without her saying goodbye. He ran back to where he left Sasami and found her sitting under a nearby tree.

                "There you are Tenchi! Did you talk to you friend?"

                Tenchi said, "Yeah... there was a lot to catch up on."

                "Ok, I understand. So you want to go to the garden now?" cheered Sasami. She stuck out her hand and Tenchi took it to lead the way.

                After several hours of work Tenchi and Sasami sat down for a well deserved break. The plot of land they worked on together was finished and ready to be planted. Tenchi looked forward to Sasami's lunch, but unfortunately for him, his grandfather was shouting his name before he could take his first bite.

                "Tenchi! I told you to never eat before practice."

                "But grandfather, practice isn't for another two hours."

                Katsuhito smirked, "A normal routine is a dangerous thing. When the unexpected happens you will be the least prepared. Now come."

                Tenchi shook his head. "Sorry Sasami, I hope this food won't go to waste."

                "It's okay Tenchi! I'm sure Washu and Ryoko are hungry. They did miss breakfast after all."

                "Yeah, that's right. I'll see you tonight Sasami," said Tenchi as he headed for the shrine.

                "Bye Tenchi! Good luck!"

                The first part of practice was the shrine steps. Of course his grandfather made him run up the steps, but Katsuhito couldn't allow him to slack at the top while he climbed the steps himself. To remedy this, Tenchi had to run up and down the shrine steps until his grandfather reached the top. 

                On his third way down, when Tenchi passed his grandfather he gasped, "You're going slow on purpose!"

                "Watch your step," Katsuhito tried to warn Tenchi, but he was already stumbling before Katsuhito finish his sentence.

                He grabbed Tenchi by the arm before falling too far and pulled him to his feet. "That's enough for today. We're almost to the top anyway."

                When they reached the top Katsuhito lead Tenchi behind the shrine and handed him his practice sword. Tenchi asked, "Grandfather, don't we usually go into the hills? There isn't much room—" 

                "Silence. You needn't ask why when you'll soon find out. Start your warm ups... And check your form this time. I'll be watching."

                Tenchi began with the basic forms of Juraian swordplay. To his surprise his grandfather wasn't shouting out crude mistakes. He thought he must have been doing them right for once. Only ten minutes into his warm-ups, Katsuhito said, "Alright, that's enough. Come and rest over here."

                "But grandfather..."

                "Tenchi!"

                Tenchi ran to the shrine's back porch, where his grandfather was sitting. Katsuhito said, "Tenchi, there is something I have to tell you."

                Tenchi waited silently for his grandfather to continue. His expression was just as unreadable as it ever, but the way he spoke worried Tenchi. "What is it, grandfather?"

                "The police were here last week, Tenchi. They met with me privately so no one knows except for Nobuyuki and me."

                Katsuhito paused again, giving Tenchi the impression that what he needed to say was very difficult. "Grandfather, why were the police here?"

                Katsuhito looked at him directly and said, "Tenchi, they were investigating suspicion of a brothel."

                Tenchi closed his eyes.

                "Tenchi, what I'm saying is—"

                "I know what a brothel is," he said through his teeth.

                He stood and paced from the porch as if injured. He remembered the first time learned about it. It was several years before he released Ryoko. One of the boys at school was throwing the word around like a trump card, as if his knowledge of sex terms made him superior. He said to Tenchi, 'M_y dad told me all about brothels! All you have to do is pay them some money and they'll give you a girl that will do anything you say.'_

                Tenchi's knuckles turn white as he tried to contain himself. "How could they? How... dare them!"

                Katsuhito removed his glasses and began cleaning them, "Tenchi, the women who live here are no secret anymore. Several visitors to the shrine even know them by name."

                "So what?! That's no reason to think that they're...! That I...!"

                "Tenchi, you have to understand what this looks like from the investigator's perspective. A house suddenly appears near a shrine in the deep countryside. Then four women and a little girl become residents at the house with three men. They are four women with no apparent jobs of their own, known to many as just visitors to our home."

                "But they do have jobs and careers! Well..."

                "Nothing the general public could know about. They also could never know our family relation. From their perspective they see four independent women living with three men. Not to mention it's in a house that's within walking distance to an obscure shrine far from civilization. No one would be suspicious of a man traveling alone to the shrine. Tenchi, it's been four years. After four years our home and its company become vulnerable to assumptions like that."

                Tenchi starred at the ground, but he couldn't see it. His eyes lost all focus. In his mind, Tenchi heard, _'And there's usually one guy who owns them all. He keeps all the money and he can do any of them whenever he wants to.'_

                Tenchi roared, "I still can't forgive an insult like that! To think that... just to think! Didn't you say that some visitors know the girls? Isn't it obvious enough that they're not like that... that I would never impose something like that?" 

                Katsuhito looked at Tenchi shaking with anger and sighed. "Tenchi, you know how Aeka and Ryoko act around you. Aeka is always at your arm, even if we know that her interest is her own, you have to imagine what that looks like. As for Ryoko... Ryoko is the kind of woman who is very easily misinterpreted."

                "Grandfather, how could you even suggest—!?" 

                "Try to be rational. We know that if any man other than you so much as touched Ryoko's shoulder she would break both his arms. But even the regular visitors couldn't know that unless they saw it happen. Realize that when Aeka and Ryoko are at your side and being civil with one another, it is very easy to get the wrong impression."

                "I can't believe your saying this! I'm not like that! They're not like that! You're no better than the damn police!"

                "Tenchi, you stupid boy! Don't be so blind!" Katsuhito stood to level his eyes with Tenchi's. "Of course I know that isn't true, but others don't. I understand Aeka and Ryoko, I have known them much longer than you realize. Never question my respect for either of them!"

                Tenchi tried to relax and rationalize himself as his grandfather said to, but it simply couldn't be done. He heart was beating its way out of his chest while the boy from school continued to taunt him. _'To him, they're nothing but property.'_

                "But... I'm not like that!!"

                _'He keeps them like their animals...'_

"I don't force them to stay!!"

                _'... It's like they're not even real people, so it's okay to use them.'_

                "How could they say that? How could they think that?!"

                Tenchi realized he was still holdinghis practice sword and with one final cry of outrage he struck the ground and the wood shattered as if it were glass.

                Katsuhito grasped Tenchi's shoulders and shook him furiously. "Tenchi!! You have to calm down! This raging will get you nothing!"

                Tenchi was nearly hyperventilating. His mind was numb, but one thought pushed through the static,

                *Tenchi: Later that day an older student beat the shit out of that kid for what he said.*

                His muscles relaxed and his body turned into jelly. Katsuhito was prepared to catch him but Tenchi stood on his own. "I'm sorry grandfather... I lost my mind."

                "It's alright Tenchi; you have every reason to be upset."

                Tenchi wanted to say more, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. "Grandfather I... uh... I...."

                "What is it, Tenchi?"

                "... Never mind it's nothing."

                Katsuhito firmly gripped Tenchi's shoulders and looked at him directly. "Tenchi, why are you taking this insult so personally?"

                Tenchi dropped his head and said, "I don't know."

                "I never expected you to react like this. I only told you because I felt it was something you should have been aware of, but If I had known you wouldn't be able to handle it I wouldn't have told you."

                Tenchi stepped past Katsuhito and sat down on the porch. A moment later Katsuhito slowly made his way back to the porch and sat next to him.

                "Grandfather, sometimes Ryoko... frightens me."

                "What do you mean?"

                "What I should say is... I feel scared for her. With as much as she loves me, she'll do anything to make me happy. I... really think she would do almost anything for me, if I asked her enough. I don't like having that kind of responsibility over someone. She would let herself get hurt if she thought it pleased me... and she would act as if nothing were wrong."

                Katsuhito said, "How could you be so sure of something like this?"

                "It's so many little things over the years. Countless times she's snuck into my bed while I'm sleeping and I would wake up with her on top of me. She would always be in the nude, too. She would tell me I could have her... and it would be okay if I liked strange things, like the things in a dirty magazine. She said she would let me do anything to her, and that she was mine. It disturbs me when I hear her say those things. She's such a good person, but she's trying so hard to sabotage her own well being. She keeps making herself more and more vulnerable to me. It's reached a point where every day I find myself in a position where I can easily... take advantage of her."

                Yosho sighed deeply. "Ryoko does act self destructive, and she's put you in a position where could easily destroy her as a human being. I know you would never do such a thing, but I understand how hard it is to be in that position. Not only must you protect her from others, but you must protect her from yourself, and even protect her from herself."

                "I'm worried about me more than anything else."

                Katsuhito rested his hand on Tenchi's shoulder. "You'll be fine. In either case I think you should talk to her, and make sure you tell her how she's worrying you."

                "Yeah... I should."

                Tenchi thought of how it was odd that his grandfather was giving him advice about Ryoko. It never occurred to Tenchi that he knew her on a personal level, and he thought to ask, "Grandfather, how do you know Ryoko? I mean... besides your fight with her."

                Katsuhito was silent for a moment. When Tenchi looked to see if he would answer he said, "Ryoko... Ryoko is the one person in this galaxy whom I will be indebted to for the rest of my life. After she was defeated, I witnessed the same thing you saw the day Kagato attacked... she became someone else."

                "... You mean the mind control, right?"

                "Yes. My Tree analyzed her during our battle, it found that her mind was inactive, as if she were asleep. It concluded the same as I, that the gems were the true enemy, and her body was only a physical manifestation. When I removed the last gem I expected her to vanish, but she turned out to be very real. None of the Trees on Jurai suspected this, so I wasn't given orders to take this into account. I contacted Jurai and relayed that Ryoko was actually a girl with no recollection of Jurai. It took them several days to decide how to act.

                "During that time I was ordered to keep her prisoner." Katsuhito laughed, "Prisoner... such an inappropriate word to describe her. It was actually more along the lines of me taking care of her. In those few days I learned everything about her. There wasn't much to do while we waited, so she told me about herself. She talked the entire time."

                Tenchi laughed, "Talked about herself? That doesn't sound like Ryoko at all."

                Katsuhito frowned. "I know, and that's partly my fault. Eventually my orders came in to carry out her sentence. I protested that there couldn't be a sentence if she wasn't even at the trial to represent herself. They made it clear—my father made it clear—that I was to do as I was told or he would send more forces to arrest me and carry out the sentence anyway."

                "Her sentence was life imprisonment in the cave, right?"

                Katsuhito shook his head. "Actually her sentence was execution... a very brutal version of it at that. But I had no choice, without her gems the forces my father would send could detain her, and they most likely would have executed me as well."

                Tenchi raised his eyebrows. "He would do that? Kill is own son?"

                "Ryoko killed hundreds of millions of people. Losing a son meant nothing to him, if it assured Ryoko would never risk his planet again. I would have died in vein. So I did as I was told. However, I had no idea that Ryoko was indestructible. The cave was a crude supplement for our inability to kill her."

                Katsuhito gaze went distant and he went silent.

                "Grandfather?"

                "I'm sorry Tenchi, I can't tell you anymore. I don't wish to think about it any longer." Katsuhito stood and slowly started walking away. Tenchi said nothing and allowed him to leave in silence. 

                When Ryoko finally woke up it was almost dinner time. She floated through the floors yawning and rubbing her eyes and eventually ended up in the kitchen. Sasami was there, making the final preparations for the family's supper. 

                Dinner proceeded like normal, only that everyone was somber and untalkative. Ryoko, Nobuyuki, and Sasami were the exception. At one point during the meal the silence got so bad Ryoko had to lean over to Nobuyuki and ask if something terrible had happened that she missed. He didn't know, and neither did Sasami. The meal finally came to and end and everyone went their separate ways as they prepared for bed, giving one another only a glance for a 'goodnight'.

                Naturally Ryoko was wide awake. With everyone nearing bed time, she had nothing to do. Almost like a reflex she thought,

                *Ryoko: Might as well just take a bath, I probably need one anyway.*

                She then thought,

                *Ryoko: I don't know who that was just now, but you better knock it off. Don't screw with me.*

                She half expected a response from one of the Goddesses, but when none came she teleported to the Onsen. There she found Aeka, looking just as miserable as she did at the dinner table. Ryoko snickered at the golden opportunity to torment her. She took off her clothes and snuck up behind her.

                "Why so blue, Princess?" Ryoko jumped into the bath right next to Aeka, making sure to cause a splash that would hit her face.

                Coughing, Aeka said, "Oh! Ryoko you scared me."

                Ryoko said. "What? That's it? You're not mad? What was the deal with everyone today? I'm gone for one day and everyone loses their personality!"

                "I didn't really notice."

                Ryoko said, "I'm not surprised, you never lifted your eyes off your plate during dinner. Everyone else was the same."

                Aeka lightly nodded and said, "Oh."

                "Alright, something happened and I'm going to find out what it was. Now tell me what's wrong right now."

                Aeka sighed and said, "I'm fine."

                "Um... you're sure about that?"

                "Yeah..." Aeka paused for a moment and asked, "... H-how are you?"

                "How am I?" Ryoko stood in outrage. "How am I!?!?! Aeka what the hell is wrong with you? Since when have you ever asked how I was?" Ryoko grabbed her shoulders and throttled her. "You're supposed to say something snobby and then I'm supposed to shoot something back. C'mon Aeka, you're not playing the game right!"

                Aeka didn't seem fazed by Ryoko roughing her around, she simply said, "I'm sorry... I was just trying to be nice."

                Ryoko crossed her arms. "Well stop it, you're pissing me off. If you don't want to get the ball rolling then I will. Hmmm let's see here, what's a good general insult? You're good at this Aeka, can't you think of one?"

                Aeka quietly shrugged. "Uh, I don't know."

                "I'm only good at subtle provoking, not blatant insults..." After thinking a while Ryoko smacked her fist in her palm and said, "I've got one! You're a bitch. Okay your turn."

                Ryoko filled with excitement as she anticipated Aeka's counter, but none came. "Aeka?"

                Suddenly Aeka burst into tears and she hugged Ryoko.

                Dumbfound, Ryoko said, "Wow that was easy."

                "Ryoko I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

                Ryoko started pealing Aeka off of her. "Jeez Aeka, what's wrong with you? You're really starting to freak me out here."

                "I didn't know... I'm so sorry..."

                "Didn't know what?"

                Aeka dried her eyes. "Washu... er- you're mother... what I mean is... She didn't want to tell me, but I prodded. It wasn't my business to know, but I said some things that I shouldn't have and Washu got so angry with me that she told me... things about you."

                Ryoko went pale. Her breath was gone, as if someone just punched her in the stomach. Silently she said, "Stupid bitch can't keep her mouth shut..."

                Aeka shook her head furiously. "No! It was my fault! I pushed the subject onto her..."

                "No Aeka, it wasn't your fault, she only made you think it was. She's a manipulative bitch, and I mean that literally. Manipulating people is her job."

                "I don't understand."

                "Forget it. What did she tell you, anyway?"

                Aeka grew silent again and turned away from Ryoko. After a moment she said, "She really only told me about the cave. I didn't think it was like that..."

                Aeka looked back to Ryoko and she appeared to be relieved. "She only told you about the cave? Oh thank god, I thought she did something stupid like tell you... uh... never mind."

                "But, it must have been so terrible!"

                "So it got a little chilly? So what? I'm not a charity case here, so stop treating me like I'm some kid!"

                Aeka stood and stared Ryoko down. "I can't believe you! It's impossible for you to ever be serious! Even your own life is just some big joke to you."

                Ryoko's hand was instantly gripped tightly around Aeka's neck. "What the hell do you know?" she whispered bitterly. "You think you know enough to lecture me just because you heard Washu gab on and on about how much her life sucks? I'm trying to tell you that you don't want to know. Read between the damn lines! Besides, this isn't some fucking help seminar, she's just bitching like she always does. So why don't you mind your own business like you should have before with Washu."

                Ryoko pushed her and she crashed into the deeper water. Ryoko sat back down where she was sitting before and tried to get back to relaxing.

                Aeka waded back to the bench and sat down. Ryoko caught the resentful expression on her face and said, "Hey! That's more like it! You're not going to let me slide for the last one, are you? C'mon, give me your best shot!"

                For a moment Aeka wanted to do just that. But instead she sighed deeply and activated her force-field around the Onsen. "Neither of us is leaving here until you show some honesty."

                Ryoko smacked her forehead. "Oh GOD! This is _so_ pointless! You know I can outlast you anyway, you'll be dozing off before it's midnight."

                Aeka turned her head away, "I'd be shocked if you showed such patience."

                "Fine, have it your way." Ryoko slouched lower into the water and made bubbles with her nose.

                After a few minutes passed she heard a voice in her mind,

                *Washu: Why are you being so cold to her? You know she's not trying to cause trouble.*

                *Ryoko: I don't want to talk to you right now.*

                *Washu: Too bad. Listen to me, this morning she told me that she wouldn't mind being your friend, give or take a few choice words. Why don't you try and have a talk with her like you do with me."

                *Ryoko: Well I don't want to be _that_ rude.*

                *Washu: You know what I mean.*

                *Ryoko: I think I'll pass; besides I wouldn't want to humor you. I know you set all of this up, I don't have to be your little pawn.*

                *Washu: Actually I have nothing to do with this, and you _know_ you can take my word for it. I just happened to notice and thought it was a good idea, so I'm playing along.*

                *Ryoko: Wouldn't that be meddling just a little too directly, Goddess?*

                *Washu: I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just a worried mother checking up on her poor grief stricken daughter.*

                *Ryoko: Go to hell.*

                *Washu: There's no such place.*

                "Damnit anyways," Ryoko muttered.

                "What?"

                "Nothing, someone's just pissing me off."

                Aeka crossed her arms and said, "That someone is sitting right here, so I'd rather you speak to me directly."

                "No, not you, Someone else. Forget it." 

                Ryoko sighed and shifted positions. She hated it when Aeka was right, but her patience was wearing thin. It was more because she was bored out of her mind than anything else. "What do you want from me?"

                "I would only like to be able to talk to you honestly without fearing mockery. If there's something you don't want to talk about then I certainly won't force you to say it."

                Ryoko tried to laugh but it came out as more of a whine. "Why do you care, anyway? Why can't we just keep things simple, like how it was before? I liked you better that way."

                To Aeka, the question was rather invasive, but she had to remind herself that Ryoko must be feeling the same thing. "We'll, it would seem only proper if I were to go first. The reason I'm doing this is because of something Washu said this morning."

                *Ryoko: Aha! I knew it!*

                *Washu: Quit jumping to conclusions and listen to her.*

                "She said that my complaining sounded like I was interested in being your friend, but I couldn't do that because of how you... behave. I thought she was only teasing me, but I gave it a lot of thought and I can say... that... yes... I want to be your friend, Ryoko. Whenever we're not discussing Tenchi we've had a lot of fun together, and I thought... well... Both of us being interested in the same person is a pretty awful reason to lose a friend."

                Ryoko's expression was casual at first, but then she smiled and said, "Okay, sure."

                "Um..."

                "It's sounds corny to say, but sure I'll be your friend. I thought we already were, but if you want to make it official then that's fine by me."

                Aeka frowned. "Ryoko..."

                "I'm not teasing! I swear!"

                Relieved, Aeka said, "Thank you. This is all very new to me. I've never had a friend before."

                Ryoko sat up straight. "What? You've never had a single friend your entire life?"

                "I've had my family, and I've had my servants. The only people I was allowed to converse with were the royal families from other planets. But I could never consider them my friends. Most of them were only socialites, and I could tell they didn't care for what I had to say when I spoke with them. That's part of the reason I'm so close to Sasami, we've been keeping each other company whenever one of us became lonely."

                A signal went off in Aeka's mind that told her Ryoko was about to belittle her feelings, which she usually does around this point, but this time she did not. In fact no reply came at all, because Ryoko was trying to come up with something to say that didn't have some kind of insult embedded into it. 

                "Well I guess that makes two of us."

                Aeka nodded, knowing that there was no way Ryoko could have made a friend during her life. However, she knew that Ryoko had family, and Aeka asked, "Ryoko, why aren't you on good terms with your mother?"

                Ryoko went silent and she closed her eyes.

                "I'm sorry, that was too personal."

                "No, it's okay. I'm checking something else." Ryoko had been practicing detecting when her aunts or mother were pulling intergalactic strings. She tried it again now.

                *Ryoko: Anyone out there?*

                *Ryoko: ...... Anyone?!*

                *Washu: Just the peanut gallery.*

                Ryoko laughed. "Wow, you really do want to know this."

                It was more of a statement than a question, but Aeka answered, "Yes."

                Ryoko laughed again and leaned into a more comfortable position. "So, why do I hate Washu? I don't know how to sum it up, but if I were to try, I would say it's because I wouldn't want to give her the satisfaction of playing the 'savior-parent' role. She hasn't done anything to deserve it."

                Aeka lowered her head and said, "Oh."

                "What? Is that not what you wanted to hear?"

                "No it's not that. I'm trying not to speak about things I don't know much about."

                Ryoko shrugged. "Go ahead and say it. This won't go anywhere if you don't."

                "Well, I think your mother is more deserving than you think. Even before what happened this morning, I could tell that she loves you a lot. I accused her of not caring about you, but... " she paused before releasing the sensitive information, "... I only said that to make her explain why she never interacts with you. I didn't really believe it."

                "I know you were just saying things to get her to talk, so don't sweat it. Yeah, she loves me... I know that too. My mind is connected with hers that she and I can hear each other's thoughts if either of us willed it." Ryoko sat forward and rested her head on her knees. "Of course she loves me."

                Aeka pleaded with her. "But then why do you hate her?"

                Ryoko hissed, "Because she just doesn't know when to let go! She got burned pretty badly when her son was taken from her. She still wanted a kid, but she didn't want to risk losing another one. So she makes me invulnerable. I honestly have no idea how to kill myself. I've tried so many times when I was with Kagato. Even when I don't have my gems with me I'm just as flimsy as the next girl, but my flesh still regenerates. I know it's possible for me to die, but I could never do it myself. Every time I try I pass out long before being fatally injured. 

                "She wanted a kid who could never possibly leave her. One that's anchored to her brain and could never die, and look where it got us. We would have been fine if she made me a normal girl. Kagato wouldn't have cared about me. I would have lived out my life by now. I would have already had a job, met some guy, got married, had a few kids of my own, and died loving the life I had."

                "But, this morning she said—"

                "This morning she said that sometimes she wished I could die because she loves me so much, bla, bla, bla. I'm reading it from her memory right now. Yes, one time I looked into her mind and I actually found one notion of regret for making me as strong as I am. She told you that she wished I could die, which is technically true since she did think it once, but she's never thought it again, and believe me I've been watching for it. After having every cell in my body crystallized and thawed seven hundred times over, it's like a smack in the face when she shows no regret for what she put me through. If I were to get injured so badly it would kill anyone else, they have the luxury of dying, but I get patched so I can do it again and again. Do you have any ideas how many times I've 'died'? And to think she _still_ feels no regret!"

                The Onsen quieted and all that could be heard was soft rattling of Aeka's force field, but after a moment that fell silent as well. Ryoko glanced at her curiously and she replied with, "It wasn't necessary anymore, and it was getting tiring."

                Ryoko smiled and asked, "Well, does that satisfy your question?"

                "Yes, I guess it does."

                Ryoko shrugged. "Don't get me wrong though, I would be pretty miserable if she hadn't shown up."

                Confused by the sudden change in character, Aeka said, "Uh... You just said--"

                "She knows everything about me, because of our mental link. Hell, she's listening to us even now. As creepy as that can be sometimes, she knows _everything _about me, whether I want her to or not." 

                Speaking softer, Ryoko said, "When she first showed up she was a total stranger who could read me like an open book. With ease, she could sum up all of my emotions in a single phrase. I tried killing myself again in those first few weeks. If she wanted to she could betray me and tell everyone about me, and that honestly scared the shit out of me."

                Ryoko laughed, sounding more choked up than she wanted to. "I could never keep anything from her, so I stopped trying. And with the exception of this morning, she didn't say a about me to anyone. After a while I actually began to trust her. She's the only person I trust, really."

                In disbelief, Aeka asked, "No one else?"

                "It's complicated..." As if disagreeing with herself she added, "No it's not... it's stupid."

                Aeka shook her head. "I doubt it's actually stupid, Ryoko."

                Ryoko turned away from Aeka and sighed. "I need my mom because..." She stopped herself. Her voice was quivering and she didn't want Aeka to know she was on the verge of crying.

                "Ryoko, you don't have to tell me if it's too hard."

                "No, you wanted to know so I'm going to tell you." She paused to try and hold back her tears long enough to speak. "The reason I need her is because she's all I have. I can't go to anyone about my problems. If I'm pissed off about something she'll listen to me complain. If something great happened she'll congratulate me. If I'm feeling miserable she'll try and cheer me up. If I'm scared she'll hold me and make me feel safe. If I'm sick of living life she'll tell me everything will be all right. No one else could do that for me. The only reason why it was painful at first was because she showed me what I never had." 

                Ryoko sniffled and said, "I swear to go Aeka if you make fun of me I will kill you."

                Aeka frowned in remorse. "You can trust me, Ryoko."

                She laughed while wiping her eyes. "One step at a time, now. I'll tell you about myself, but going as far as trusting you is a bit extreme."

                Aeka was confused. She didn't understand how Ryoko distinguished them as two separate things. "How have you told me so much already and still not trust me?"

                "Aeka... I'm telling you the easy stuff. So now you know I love my mom, not very incriminating information if you ask me. Of course if you blab this to everyone in the house I probably would never want to talk to you for the rest of my life... if it ever ends."

                Aeka smiled. "I swear I won't say a word. But I have to ask, I thought Tenchi was the most important person in your life, since that isn't the case does that mean you're not as serious as you made it look?"

                Grinning, Ryoko stuck out her tongue. "I love Tenchi, and don't you ever forget that. The difference is simple: If tomorrow I never saw Tenchi I would miss him and worry about him. But if I went twenty-four hours without my mom I would have a nervous breakdown. I honestly have no idea how I got by without her."

                Aeka shook her head. "It's amazing that you have that kind of connection with her. On the outside your relationship seems much simpler."

                She shrugged. "That's the idea."

                Aeka saw Ryoko's expression go solemn. She asked, "What's the matter?"

                "I just remembered something about Tenchi that happened today. Normally I would be overjoyed... and I was at first... but you're not going to like it."

                Aeka's eyebrows focused. "What happened, Ryoko?"

                "Eh... I shouldn't be the one to tell you. You're _really_ not going to like it, and I don't want to hurt your feelings right when we got this 'official friendship' thing going."

                Aeka frowned. "You might as well just tell me anyway, I'll only drive myself crazy trying to guess what it is."

                Ryoko's expression became empathic. "Well... if you really want to know... There's no easy way to say this so I'll just come right out with it. Tenchi likes me, and not you."

                Aeka giggled. "Very funny Ryoko, but I thought we were going to stop the games?"

                Her laughter was cut off by Ryoko's unchanging face. "No jokes, no games. I'm serious about this. I'm really sorry, Aeka. I don't know how to make it easier for you. But I am just really, _really _sorry."

                Aeka was appalled. "How can you know something like that? He hasn't said anything to either of us about it."

                "It was earlier today when I was sleeping. I woke up once and saw him watching me. Later on I woke up again because he was touching me. I pretended to sleep because I really didn't know what to think. He put his hand on my cheek and brought his face so close to mine I thought for sure he was going to kiss me. It's really hard to get the wrong idea about a guy when he's that close to you."

                Ryoko looked at Aeka again and she was crying. She quickly went to her side. "Oh, Aeka, I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do. Our situation could easily be reversed, so please know that I understand how you feel."

                Ryoko went to place her hand on Aeka's shoulder but Aeka batted it away. "Don't patronize me. You're loving every moment of this."

                "Aeka don't say that! I didn't plan this."

                Aeka stood and started to leave. "I can't believe I thought you could stay honest for more than five minutes!"

                Ryoko teleported in front of her and stopped her at arms length. "Aeka listen to me! I'm NOT making fun of you. I've been honest the whole time!"

                Aeka tried to fight past her. "I have no reason to believe anything you say anymore."

                "Of course you do! Because... damnit, you know more about me than Tenchi does! I would never lie to him! And I could never lie to you, either!"

                Aeka struggled less and less until she found herself hugging Ryoko, followed by a new wave of tears that crashed down. "But why? I loved him..."

                "I don't know, Aeka. Maybe that's why he could never say anything even after four years, because he knew how much this would hurt one of us."

                In between sobs Aeka managed to say, "It's just not fair!"

                "I know, Aeka. It's not fair that he likes me, because I'll admit I haven't really given him a rational reason to like me. I don't help out around the house and somehow I always end up destroying things. I don't know why he likes me, but he does."

                "I know... he's only one person, and it's either one of us or neither. I knew the risk, and I shouldn't be crying."

                Ryoko shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous, Aeka. You have every right to be upset. In fact I think you should give him an ear full next time you see him. Honestly, just what the hell was he thinking ignoring a noble Princess like you?"

                Aeka laughed. "You don't have to do that. Thank you... I'm sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusion."

                Ryoko stepped away from their hug and said. "Don't worry about it. You're taking it a lot better than I would have."

                Aeka's smile faded as she felt more tears rushing forward. "I still need some time alone..."

                "Are you sure? Crying feels worse when you do it alone, trust me I know."

                "Thank you... but I really need to be by myself right now."

                Ryoko stepped aside. "All right. I um... I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

                Aeka headed for the exit and said, "Yes."

                After she was gone Ryoko let out a deep sigh. Immediately after she heard Washu speak to her mind.

                *Washu: I'm really proud of you.*

                *Ryoko: Whatever.*

                *Washu: C'mon, let a mother praise her daughter for once! I thought you said you liked it when I did.*

                *Ryoko: Well, yeah of course! Seriously, I don't know why we still bother with words, you know what I'm really thinking anyway...*

                *Washu: I like to consider it practice for when you tell other people about yourself using words. I know how much that scared you to tell her those private things, it was pretty brave. And it ended up paying off, too.*

                *Ryoko: I guess, but how come I still feel like shit?*

                *Washu: That one's called empathy. Aeka's feelings were hurt, and you're feeling bad about it.*

                *Ryoko: So now I have to start feeling bad when other people feel bad? I don't even have enough time to feel bad for myself... *

                *Washu: In the end it actually helps you to feel better overall.*

                *Ryoko: I'll just have to take your word for it... I _know _I can do that...*

                Ryoko went to the Onsen's exit to head back to the house, but she didn't make it off the platform. Their talk lasted longer than she thought and night was pitch black. Her eyes eventually adjusted and she was able to see the house, which was just as dark inside as the night. Ryoko whimpered in frustration.

                *Ryoko: ... Um.................................. Mama?*

                *Washu: Yes, honey?*

                *Ryoko: Can I sleep in your bed tonight?*

                *Washu: Of course.*

                Ryoko vanished and reappeared in front of Washu's lab door. Quickly she dashed through and closed it swiftly behind her.

*Ender's Game reference. Read Ender's Game.


	3. Second Day

Log recorded on Cycle 05.12.79.43  
  
Author: Lady Washu. Lady Tokimi. Lady Tsunami.  
  
Heading: History. Unlocked on Cycle 54.68.12.45  
  
The planet Washu chose to be the location of her bedroom was one that had the same twenty-four hour day period as Earth. Only because it would be easier for her to keep her sleeping patterns synced with the rest of the residents in the house. Searching for a planet with exactly the same orbital pattern as Earth was meticulous, due of the millions of variables involved, but she knew that the universe was never ending and it was only a matter of time before it began to repeat itself.   
  
The planet was a gas planet, and her room was levitating on a platform one hundred kilometers from the surface. Out the window Washu could see the gray clouds gradually turn turquoise as the planet's star rose over the horizon. Washu always found herself waking up moments before the sunrise. She didn't intend to, but it certainly didn't bother her.  
  
Washu's nightgown was shaped like an oversized T-shirt with crab patterns in the cloth. Ryoko's was identical, except it had blue hedgehogs instead of crabs. Ryoko was still asleep in her arms. Her head rested on Washu's chest and she hugged her mother like a giant pillow. Washu smiled as she listened to her daughter's breathing. These were the moments Washu lived for.  
  
Ryoko yawned and with her eyes still closed she asked, "Is it morning?"  
  
Washu kissed her on the forehead and said, "It is."  
  
She started running her fingers through Ryoko's hair and Ryoko snuggled in closer, absorbing as much of her mother's affection as she could. She couldn't help but to feel as if every fiber of her mother's body was designed especially for her, from the shape of her hands that held her to the familiar smell of her skin. Ryoko sighed in deep content.  
  
The clouds out the window became a richer blue, and Washu said, "Ryoko, look at these clouds, they're beautiful."  
  
Washu tried to nudge Ryoko to look but Ryoko whined in fierce protest and she clutched Washu tighter.   
  
Washu laughed. "Fine have it your way." She then asked, "Were you able to get enough sleep? I was worried that you might stay awake all night because of your nap."  
  
"I'm okay," said Ryoko.  
  
Being the mother she was, Washu double-checked Ryoko's memory just to be sure. She slept for two hours, and laid awake for the other seven. Washu was incapacitated the whole time, since she pushed herself through the day with no naps.  
  
Washu wiggled her toes, which only reached as far as Ryoko's waist, "Alright... it's time to get up..."  
  
Ryoko whined.  
  
"C'mon sweetie, the day is starting without us."  
  
Washu started to get up but Ryoko was attached too tightly. Washu groaned, "Really-... gotta-... get going here..." She managed to make it off the bed, but it didn't help her problem of being stuck to Ryoko who refused to move. Washu giggled and kissed Ryoko on the cheek. Ryoko released her mother instantly as if it were the key to her locked arms.  
  
Ryoko sat up, yawned, and rubbed her eyes. "Hey mom, there's something bad I have to tell you."  
  
Washu was sifting through the clothes in her dresser and she paused to listen. "What is it?"  
  
"Well, you're not going to like it, and... well ... I think... uh... "  
  
Washu smiled. "It's okay, I won't get mad."  
  
"I think I lost one of your gems."  
  
Washu laughed. "Lost one? How did you manage to do that?"  
  
Ryoko shook her head. "Well I didn't really lose it, it's more like I can't figure out which one of my gems is yours."  
  
Silenced, Washu placed a finger on her chin and asked, "You've confused mine with your own? What do you mean?"  
  
"Let me show you." Ryoko sat at the edge of the bed and held out her hands. The gems in her wrists glowed a soft blue and appeared in the palms of her hands. "I wanted to make extra gems-you know... just in case. A little while after the first gem was finished I couldn't feel a difference, so I went deep into the forest and took them both off and neither exploded. I even flew all the way over to that huge island on the other side of the ocean to see if one would explode from being so far away, but they were both still there when I came back."  
  
Washu felt tears in her eyes. "Ryoko... that's so wonderful!"  
  
"Wonderful? But I don't know which one is yours-"  
  
Washu threw her arms around Ryoko and hugged her tightly. "It doesn't matter, Ryoko. Your gem is just as powerful as mine in every way. I can feel it! My little baby is growing up so fast! First she was learning to walk now she's making her own gems."  
  
Ryoko blushed. "So you mean... this one... is... just as strong?"  
  
"Oh yes! In fact when you learn to make a second and third gem you may find that your more capable with your own gems than with mine. You'll be more compatible with them, and they'll be more compatible with each other."  
  
Ryoko nodded. "Oh yeah, I tried to make another one but it was so unstable I could feel it ready to explode even when it was close to me. I ended up just tossing it."  
  
"The second gem is far more difficult to create than the first, and the third is even more so. If you keep practicing I'm sure you'll get it in no time. Of course you don't have to make three, and you don't have to settle for three either. Your aunt Tsunami only uses two gems." Then Washu giggled and said, "But that crazy Tokimi actually has FIVE gems."  
  
Ryoko gasped. "Five? What the hell does she even use that kind of power for?"  
  
Washu smiled. "It's her security blanket. Her realm is power, meaning that in her original mortal life she born into a very weak body, and she was surrounded by people who oppressed her physical potential. You see, the mortal life that preceded my sisters and I challenged us based on what our realm was to be. As a mortal Tokimi was very weak, now she is the Goddess of power. Neither Tsunami nor I could possibly imagine the depth of understanding she has when it comes to achieving great power."  
  
Ryoko slowly nodded. "... I didn't know they had mortal lives too. What about Tsunami? What was her life like?"  
  
"Tokimi and I couldn't compare to Tsunami's understanding of peace. Her mortal life was a very brutal one. In fact a lot of what she experienced you could understand... probably more than Tokimi or myself even. She was born into a life where those around her forced her to be destructive. However the difference from you is that Kagato never successfully broke your will, he always needed the gems to force you to work for him. Over time Tsunami submitted to those who abused her, and she was consciously loyal to them. On the outside she was less of a victim and more of a tyrant, but in reality she was only scared. The shining moment of her life was the moment understood the value of peace and companionship. Having come such a long way, she understands the need for peace more than any other soul in the universe. As a result, she only has two gems."  
  
Ryoko's mental conception of Tsunami changed dramatically. After Tokimi's description of how she ended up in Kagato's hands, Ryoko always thought of her as childish. Where she did whatever she pleased to get her way, even when it was at someone else's expense. However Tsunami planned Kagato knowing on a personal level the kind of pain Ryoko would suffer. Ryoko thought aloud, "She must really love Tenchi."  
  
Washu sat next to Ryoko and looked at her directly. "She wants you to protect him. She's afraid of the kind of power needed to compete with Z, or else she would have protected him herself. She loves him so much that she was willing to let him love and be loved by another woman who could keep him safe. I don't think I'm wrong in saying that's also something you can relate to."  
  
Ryoko nodded solemnly. "Yes... before Kagato came I was very close giving Aeka my best wishes and leaving Earth all together. He would have been protected as Royalty, and he would have never been involved with Kagato. But Kagato came before I was able to decide what to do."  
  
Ryoko shook off her frown and tried to laugh. "It feels weird talking about Tenchi like this. I always thought of him as my knight in shining armor, but now that I'm able to create my own gems I guess I'm just as strong as he is. And I also want to add that I don't really like the idea of Tsunami letting Tenchi and me be together. It makes Tenchi appear to be just a person to be loved and nothing more."  
  
Washu laughed. "You're already sounding like you have your realm mastered!"  
  
"What is my realm, anyway?"  
  
Washu shook her head. "I can't say just yet. You're getting smart enough where if you knew the purpose of your life you would be able to derive the future, and that's something you're not quite ready for."  
  
"Alright, that's fine. I'm not really in any kind of rush anyway. It reminds me though; I don't think I ever heard what your realm was, and what was your mortal life like?"  
  
It was quiet in the room for a long time before Ryoko realized her mother wasn't going to respond. "Mom?"  
  
"My life...?" Washu looked at Ryoko with a bland mixture of expressions that canceled each other out, causing her to be strangely unreadable. Ryoko even felt their mental link narrow to near closure, which she didn't even think possible.  
  
"Mom... I'll understand if you don't want to say. It's not a problem."  
  
Deep relief took Washu and she hugged her daughter tightly. "Thank you. I'm not ready to tell you yet, it means a lot that you understand..."  
  
"Really? It's not like I could have forced you to say it."  
  
Washu nodded, "That's true, but you're not my little baby anymore, you're becoming my peer. I'll need your understanding just as much as you need mine."  
  
Ryoko blushed. "Mom... "  
  
"I still want to tell you about myself, but just not right now. Right now lets worry about making it to breakfast."  
  
Ryoko laughed and said, "That sounds great."  
  
Washu hopped from the bed and turned to Ryoko. "I was wondering, is it alright if I borrow you're gem? I'd like to study it and compare it to my own."  
  
Ryoko nervously scratched her forehead. "I wouldn't mind, but I can't make any temporary gems right now... and if I have no gems with me, I'm... well... pretty flimsy."  
  
Washu laughed. "You may not be at you're peek but you'll be stronger than everyone on this planet. Don't worry, it'll only be for a few days... and I'm always watching out for you. Besides, you have you're night and shining armor... You'll be fine."  
  
Slowly Ryoko started to nod. "Wellllllllllllll, alright I guess so." She levitated the two gems to her mother who imbedded them into her wrists. Ryoko saw her expression become distant and looked as if she were about to faint. "Mom? Are you okay?"  
  
Washu breathed deeply and said, "Yeah... I just forgot what it was like."  
  
Ryoko laughed. "It's a nice rush."  
  
Washu continued to breath deeply. "... Yes..."  
  
The sound of a phone interrupted them, and Ryoko said, "What the hell is that? You actually have a phone in here?"  
  
Washu stuck out her tongue. "Is that hard to believe? You don't really think I spend all my time in the lab, do you? I'm an 'active-member-of-society' thank you very much!"  
  
Ryoko rolled her eyes while Washu picked up the phone. "Hello?"  
  
A surprised expression took Washu's face as she heard the voice on the other line. Wash said, "Hold on one second," and holding her hand over the receiver she said to Ryoko, "I'm sorry honey, I have to take this one privately. You don't mind, do you?"  
  
"Wait, who is it?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"I tell you at dinner time, okay?"  
  
"Oh alright..." Ryoko started to leave, and as she did she peeked into Washu's mind to see if she could find out what she wanted to know.  
  
*Washu: None of that now...*  
  
*Ryoko: Fine, fine... I'm going...*  
  
After Ryoko left Washu said into the phone. "I'm sorry about that, she was in the room........... So, can you do it today?.............................. That's great....................... The best time to meet her is 1:29 on the dot. Stand in front of the cave at exactly 1:29 and she'll talk to you. Good luck holding her attention, she probably wont be interested in standing around and chatting.......................................... Yes, yes, 1:29 by you're watch exactly............................... Yes, by your watch. Trust me I know these things.................................................... Yes, I want to talk to you right after you meet her, okay?..................... Alright................... bye now."  
  
Washu hung up the phone and continued getting ready for breakfast.  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
Aeka kept her eyes fixed to the ground as she swept the stone path in front of the shrine. She couldn't figure out why Tenchi never said anything to her after all this time. Her only hope was that he just recently developed his feelings for Ryoko. If he had loved Ryoko from the start and simply never told Aeka she was not the one, she knew she would never be able to forgive him.  
  
Katsuhito's voice shook her from her thought. "Is something wrong, Aeka?"  
  
She never saw him approach, and he was standing right next to her. Meekly she said, "No... I'm okay."  
  
"You look tired. Why don't you take the day off? It's a Thursday anyway, not many people come during the week."  
  
"Oh, thank you," said Aeka. She sounded more desperate than she would have liked so she added, "If that's alright..."  
  
Katsuhito smiled. "It certainly is. I have some things to take care of at the house, we can walk there together."  
  
She felt more like being alone, and she said, "Thank you, but I think I'll stay up here for now."  
  
Katsuhito nodded and started on his way. "Alright. I will see you some other time then."  
  
Aeka waved and went to sit on the front porch of the shrine. Again, the question pounded into her mind like a ringing in her ears,  
  
*Aeka: If he never loved me to begin with, why didn't he tell me?*  
  
Unable to help herself she burst into tears. She ran to the steps to flee to the Onsen, but halfway down the steps she could see Katsuhito talking with a visitor to the shrine. She couldn't get to the Onsen from where she was, and she couldn't stay at the shrine and risk being seen by a complete stranger. While looking for another place to go she saw Ryoko's cave and ran to the entrance.   
  
Aeka stumbled past the gate, which had remained unlocked since Tenchi opened it. Her crying sounded louder with the echo of the cave, and she went deeper inside to be sure she couldn't be heard. She came to a burning torch and stopped to sit near its light. She wept with no inhibition.  
  
She forced herself look to try and see the bright side, but she couldn't bring herself to a conclusion other than the worse case imaginable. She knew if Tenchi truly was undecided between herself and Ryoko, he would have told her the moment he realized Ryoko was the one. However, Tenchi never said a word to either of them about his feelings, even after it was clear on whom he liked.   
  
  
  
*Aeka: He must have known... what other explanation is there?*  
  
She couldn't believe that Tenchi never told her. In the beginning she merely had a crush on him. If she had known he would never love her it would have ended there when it was harmless. Over the years her crush turned into love. A cold spark of contempt dried her tears when she thought of how easily her pain could have been avoided if only Tenchi hadn't lied. She couldn't help but to think,  
  
*Aeka: It's Tenchi's fault.*  
  
With that thought, Aeka was able to rationalize her feelings. It gave definition to her pain, making it easier to handle. Even though it wasn't the complete reason, it was enough to allow Aeka to stop crying. It reminded her of what Ryoko said about scolding Tenchi for playing with her feelings. It didn't sound like such a bad idea anymore, and she decided to do just that the next time she saw him.  
  
When she stood she felt the warmth of the torch keenly on her cheek. The sharp contrast made Aeka realize how cold she was and she buried her hands in her sleeves to try and warm up. She noticed how strange it was for the torch to be lit in the first place, since she always thought no one came into the cave. She concluded the explanation was probably as simple as her brother renewing the torches every morning.   
  
She was now curious to see what else was in the cave, and she carefully walked to another light around the corner. After passing three torches, she came to an opening the size of the Masaki house. A large bolder was in the center of the area, and all of the walls were decorated with religious markings and symbols. Aeka thought, this must be what Yosho built to scare people away.  
  
She walked around the boulder and found a section of the wall that was flat and square, with an obvious crack splitting it down the middle. Aeka walked over to the space and look through it. It was black immediately on the other side of the wall, as if she were looking into a starless vacuum.   
  
She leaned her head in to try and detect any hint of what was beyond the wall, but she only saw black on all sides. Even when she looked to her left and right her view remained exactly the same, so much that the turning of her neck felt like a phantom sensation. With the loss of sight her other senses became overwhelmed. For a brief moment Aeka thought she felt herself falling forward and she shrieked while throwing herself back.  
  
Grumbling at her overreaction, Aeka climbed back to her feet and went to investigating the space in the wall with more caution than before. She leaned her head through again but she still only saw black.  
  
"That's strange," she wondered aloud. A moment later she heard her voice echo back, revealing to her that this wasn't a simple gap in the wall, but a deep catacomb. Blind to the chasm in front of her, Aeka nearly fainted as Agoraphobia swept through her. She grasped the corner of the wall and slowly guided herself as far away from the space in the wall as her arm could reach. She fell to her knees and fought off her hyperventilating.   
  
When her dizziness passed, her need to see what was past the wall became an absolute must. She took the nearest torch and shoved it clumsily into the gap. To her relief, the chasm was revealed to be a narrow passage with a steep incline. When she looked more closely she could make out grooves on the floor. She easily recognized it as Juraian architecture.   
  
"Down there must be..."  
  
*Aeka: I have to see It.*  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
Ryoko materialized at the peek of the Shine steps and glanced around for Aeka. She volunteered to search for her when Sasami began to worry about her absence. Lunchtime had come and Aeka hadn't been seen since breakfast. Ryoko figured she was probably hiding under a tree somewhere crying her eyes out, and being the only person who knew why she thought it best that she found her first.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone standing at the mouth of the cave. Making an effort to remember to walk like a normal human being, Ryoko painstakingly covered the distance on foot. It was a woman that Ryoko faintly remembered seeing before. Her dark gray hair was combed back into a tie, and even though she was aged, there was still a look of youth about her. Ryoko asked, "Hey there, did you happen to see a girl with purple hair?"  
  
The woman smiled and said, "A girl with purple hair? Oh you must mean Aeka, right?"  
  
"You know her name?"  
  
"I come here all the time, you see. You were... Ryo... ko? Right? I always enjoy talking with Lord Katsuhito and every once and a while he'll mention one of your names."  
  
Ryoko grew pale. "He does?"  
  
The woman laughed and said, "There's nothing to worry about, he only has the best of things to say."  
  
"Well that's a relief. Why do you come here so much anyway?"  
  
"I like to stop by because... heh, I doubt a sensible girl like yourself would believe me if I said."  
  
Ryoko smirked. "Try me, I can believe some pretty crazy stuff."  
  
"Well alright, I'll tell you. You know they called me senile for saying it, but I've got a psychic connection with spirits. Ever since my parents brought me here as a little girl, I could always tell there was something dreadfully wrong with this cave. I've heard the old legend about the legendary warrior sealing a demon inside, but personally I thought it was all a bunch of hogwash. Whenever I stood here I could tell that this was no jail protecting us from a devil. I could hear the spirits here grieving, and it wasn't the grieving of an imprisoned demon I can tell you that!"  
  
"Oh," Ryoko put quietly.  
  
"It got me curious about this cave, so by the time I was in high school I started doing some research about it's history. I found out about other legends besides the one told here, and they're all very tragic."  
  
Curious, Ryoko asked, "What other legends?"  
  
"Well my memory isn't what it used to be, so I can't tell all of them. I couldn't even tell you when they were created, but I know that they were all created at different times, sometimes hundreds of years between one another. I remember one being the oldest, before the shrine was even built here. The legend says during the winter, if you listened to the cave closely enough, you could hear the sound of a girl weeping. There is another that says that if any man with taint in his heart should enter the deep into the cave, he will never return. There were also legends telling of a guardian protecting his one true love who was trapped inside the cave."  
  
Ryoko blushed, "What?! How did THAT one get started?"  
  
"I don't think I could remember..."  
  
Ryoko nervously asked, "Is there... uh... more... to the legend?"  
  
"I believe it told something about a demon who rampaged through heaven, making a mockery of it. The gods were furious, of course, and they sent their strongest guardian to stop the demon. When the guardian met with the demon he saw that, in its rampage, an angel had become caught in the demon's jaws. The guardian fought to free the angel, and in their ongoing battle they fell to the earth. Eventually the guardian was able to separate the demon from the angel, so that he could destroy the demon with all of his might. The guardian called to the gods to return both and the angel to heaven, but the gods refused. They had watched the battle from heaven far away, and to them the angel looked as if it were a piece of the demon. The gods asked the guardian to seal away the angel until they could decide whether or not she was the same as the demon. The guardian had no choice but to do as the gods requested. To show his dissatisfaction with the gods, he renounced himself as a guardian of heaven and chose to live on Earth as a mortal."  
  
With wide eyes Ryoko said, "Wow, that's really accurate for a legend."  
  
The woman smiled, "Yes it is."  
  
A minute passed without a word spoken as Ryoko studied the old woman. Finally she said, "You're a Juraian."  
  
She nodded. "I am. There are many Juraians who live amongst Earthlings here, our Lady Funaho is one such example."  
  
"Why did you make it seem like you were just an earthling?"  
  
"I've always wanted to meet you, Ryoko, but I've always been too nervous. It's pretty embarrassing thing for an old woman to admit to being shy, so when you started speaking with me I pretended to be and Earthling. I hope you'll forgive me."  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "It's no problem I guess."  
  
"There's a bit more to it than that. You see, I'm also a doctor... a Psychologist. You're mother asked me to speak with you, and if it's alright with you I'd like to try and talk about some things with you."  
  
Ryoko was silent for the moment. She never recalled anything about a doctor in her mother's memory and it startled her that she would keep this from her. "Um... I really don't think it's necessary. I mean... there's nothing really wrong with me and I wouldn't want to take up your time."  
  
The woman smiled. "It's alright, I have plenty of time today. I've actually met with your mother many times when she was a patient of mine. I helped her work out some of her anxieties, but she's no longer my patient. We still keep in touch, and she asked me as a friend to try and talk to you. It's up to you, Ryoko. If you don't want to talk with me that's perfectly fine, but if you do I would be happy to listen."  
  
Ryoko fell silent again, unable to decide either way. She expected to hear the relaxing voice of her mother speak to her mind, gently encouraging her to go ahead with it, but Ryoko heard nothing. She expected one of the other goddesses try to tip her mind in either direction, but her indecision remained undisturbed. She waited nearly a minute to test the goddesses and her mother, and still they did not interfere with her choice. She was truly in control of this moment, and the thrill was too great to ignore. Smiling she said, "Sure... "  
  
"That's wonderful. Then I suppose I should fully introduce myself. My name is Yuko Kobayashi, and I am six hundred and fifty seven years old."  
  
Ryoko rubbed her chin. "You weren't alive when it happened..."  
  
Yuko nodded. "That is true. Some criticize me for my opinions because I did not live the incident personally, but I think--as well as several others--that I am offering a more realistic view on what happened. Opposed to the enflamed tales from those who are still grieving inside."  
  
"So were you making all of those legends up just to break the ice?"  
  
"The legends were real, and they were started by my parents and other Juraians like them. They were a small group who were here before Yosho came. They helped him build the cave and the shrine."  
  
Ryoko said, "That's odd, I don't remember more coming until after I was in the cave... It was just Yosho for a long time."  
  
Yuko laughed and said, "Well that's how the romance found its way into the legend. They used to say that Yosho was so protective of you he never let anyone see you, not even his fellow Juraians. And when Yosho announced he would stay on Earth to protect you from Kagato's return, everyone in the Juraian community assumed that he must have fallen in love with you."  
  
Ryoko crossed her arms stiffly. "Well I'm not exactly a fan of Yosho. He betrayed me more than anyone else."  
  
Startled, Yuko said, "Dear, don't you know he was the only person pleading in your defense?" She reached out and took Ryoko's hand, holding it with care. "Every Juraian here on Earth has terrible shame for what has happened to you. You have every right to be angry with Juraians everywhere, but please don't be angry with Yosho."  
  
An anxious feeling squeezed Ryoko's lungs. "He left me inside. I hated being put in there in the first place, but I at least understood why. What I didn't understand was why he left me there."  
  
"You say you understand why you were put inside, but you don't understand why Yosho left you there?"  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "Well... yeah."  
  
"Why do you think you were put inside?"  
  
Ryoko paused and turned her side to Yuko. "Well... you know... what I did."  
  
"Weren't you being controlled by Kagato through the gems?"  
  
"Yeah I guess."  
  
"Then what did you do?"  
  
Ryoko glanced at Yuko for a brief moment and then looked away. "... Maybe so people felt like something was being done. What were they going to do? Just sit on their asses and say 'oh well'?"  
  
"But what did you do that makes you think they were right for putting you in the cave?"  
  
Ryoko turned to face her again. She wanted to call the whole thing off and never say another word about it, but at the same time she wanted to know why it was bothering her so much for this little old woman to ask such a simple question. Finally she said, "I don't know."  
  
Yuko nodded. "That's a legitimate answer. But you still feel that it was somewhat justified?"  
  
"I guess. I was okay with staying in there a little while until everyone cooled off... but Yosho wouldn't release me even after weeks passed."  
  
"I believe he was trying to protect you. It may sound crude since the cave itself caused you so much pain, but imagine how vulnerable you would be out in the open. Yosho could never be with you at all time, and the moments he would be away they could have stolen you and their cruelty would not end."  
  
Ryoko shook her head. "You say that as if I'm helpless. I could have taken care of myself."  
  
"Remember that you did not have your alternative gems created yet, and since returning you your original gems was far too risky even for you, you're power would have been greatly limited. By the way, Ryoko... I don't think I know the extent of your power without your gems. How strong would you have been?"  
  
A grim expression took Ryoko's face. "I... I would still be able to fly and teleport... but... I would have been weak... like... normal weak."  
  
"I see."  
  
Ryoko threw her arms up and said, "That settles it then. I know why I was put in there, and I know why I was kept in there. Thanks for your help..."  
  
Yuko giggled and said, "That's very nice, but would it be alright if we kept talking?"  
  
"Sure why not?"  
  
"That's great," said Yuko smiling. "I would like to go back to why you thought you should have gone in the cave in the first place."  
  
"What's there to talk about? I said I didn't know. Besides, wouldn't you people be the ones telling me why I went into the cave?"  
  
"You're confusing two different things. The reason why you were put into the cave is different from the reason why you thought you were put into the cave."  
  
Ryoko crossed her arms. "Alright, how am I supposed to tell you what I think when I don't really know myself?"  
  
Yuko paused and nodded. "Okay, lets start at a different place, alright?"  
  
Ryoko simply shrugged.  
  
"You know I've observed you on several occasions before and after meeting with your mother, and I noticed that you're quite the trouble maker. Why do you like teasing people the way you do?"  
  
"It's harmless fun."  
  
"Harmless you say? Even when it brings trouble back onto you? I've even sometimes seen you purposely do something to make Tenchi angry with you. Would you do that for attention or was it something else?"  
  
"I don't know... I don't really mind it when Tenchi's angry with me. I'm really just looking for fun... nothing else."  
  
Yuko said, "What about the things you repeatedly do that you know Tenchi doesn't like? It only brings upon him telling you how bad you are, but you continue to do it."  
  
With a half smile, Ryoko laughed and said, "Being bad is the most fun. It's cool to be bad."  
  
Yuko looked Ryoko directly and asked, "Do you think you're a bad person, Ryoko?"  
  
"What kind of question is that?"  
  
"It's a simple question. Do you think you're a bad person?"  
  
Ryoko tried not to think about it consciously, because it felt strange to do. "Of course not..." she said.  
  
Yuko asked, "Is that true?"  
  
Ryoko was silent for a moment. She said, "Well...um..." Her eyes itched, but when she rubbed them the itching didn't go away. Her eyes began to mist and thought aloud, "Why...?"  
  
Yuko replied, "Yes?"  
  
"Why... why am I..." Ryoko placed her thumb and finger over her brows and tried to force back the tears, but when it became clear that they were going to come whether she wanted them to or not, she said, "Why am I crying?"  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
Aeka's first step past the wall landed in ice water that penetrated her sandal and sock as if she weren't wearing them. Undeterred, she continued deeper while making sure not to step in the grooves. She reached the part of the passage with the steep incline, and began experimenting with different ways to safely descend.  
  
While reaffirming her grip on the torch, she placed a toe of one foot into a groove and slowly put transferred her weight onto it. When she was confident her footing would hold she lowered her other foot to find another groove. When she couldn't feel one out, she leaned back to look with the torch.   
  
Her current footing was operating with an extremely low tolerance of movement, and when she turned her body, the groove thoughtlessly dropped her and she went sliding down. Everything became black as the torch slipped from her hand and became extinguished, but she was only in darkness for a moment. A blue light made the bottom of the passage visible and she could see it rushing towards her. She tried to orient herself for a smooth landing but she wasn't fast enough. She cried out in pain as her left foot stiffly absorbed the collision.  
  
From her position sprawled across the floor, Aeka stubbornly resolved to at least do what she came down there to do. She lifted her head to see the alter that held Ryoko, knowing at first glance that this was a Juraian crucifixion chamber.   
  
"Oh my lord..."  
  
She didn't bother straining her neck to see any more. The sight of a crucifixion chamber is grafted into the memory of every Juraian old enough to know what one was. It was the ultimate punishment officially practiced by her people, and it was reserved for extreme circumstances. In all of Juraian history, no one who has been crucified has ever lived longer than minutes, which is far too short of a period for a one to die from the injury the crucifixion caused. Pain was always the cause of death.  
  
She groaned, "Seven hundred years... Seven hundred years..."  
  
Aeka never knew what had transpired on Earth the day Yosho defeated Ryoko. When she announced she would search for him as soon as he left, her mother tried to talk her out of such a vein mission. She was confident that Yosho would be contacting Jurai when he was victorious, and she told Aeka that she should wait before doing anything irrational. Her mother's advice didn't help, and Aeka went searching for Yosho anyway. She never was able to learn about Yosho's stay on Earth because of her suspended animation, and as a result she lost seven hundred years of her life wondering aimlessly about space.   
  
Now that she knew the manor in which Ryoko was imprisoned, she could guess what might have happened after the battle. Considering how Kagato controlled Ryoko with her gems, she thought that there must have been a dispute over what was to be done. Aeka remembered seeing her father and brother exchanging only a few words with one anther when they came to visit. It worried her that there might be a conflict between them she didn't know about. She knew that she had to ask Yosho or Ryoko about what happened, but right now she had to figure out how to get out of the cave. The frigid air was starting to seep past her clothes and she knew she couldn't stay there for long.   
  
She sat herself upright and felt her left ankle. It was sprained badly and hurt just to touch it. Aeka couldn't imagine ascending the incline with only one foot, especially since descending with both feet was such a failure. Despite the odds against her, Aeka was confident she could help herself.  
  
She clasped her hands together and manipulated her Jurai energy to focus on healing her ankle. She could feel the injury mending, as it should. However, the energy felt sluggish and far too ineffective to heal her within a reasonable time. It was the shaking in her hands what made her lose focus, but when she tried to steady them her entire body begin to shiver. Slowly the energy flow became increasingly difficult to maintain. After a minute passed she was shivering too violently to use her power. She was now truly stuck.  
  
"Oh no."  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
Yuko was silent. She already knew what was wrong with Ryoko and the path she would have to take to solve it. She's had helped many patients just like her before. "It's alright to cry... Keep talking... tell me what comes to mind..."  
  
"... I guess I don't care that I do... I just don't know why I am." She turned away from Yuko and said, "... I'm suddenly crying for no reason... I'm sorry, I must look like a fool."  
  
"You don't look like a fool. Don't try to fight it... just relax."  
  
Ryoko breathed deeply, but through the tears it sounded like a shudder. "Jeez, what's wrong with me all of a sudden? Normally I don't burst into tears at random like this..."  
  
Yuko nodded. "That's fine, it doesn't bother me. Let's keep talking. Tell me what you're thinking about right now... "  
  
"I'm thinking about why I started crying for no reason... Maybe I need to see Washu... Maybe I sprung a leak."  
  
Yuko smiled and said, "That could be true. It might be just a simple mistake. I don't mind you crying, I do hope we'll keep talking."  
  
Ryoko tried to dry her eyes but it was a vein attempt; Her tears didn't stop. "Yeah sure, what were we talking about?"  
  
"I had asked you how you felt about yourself, and you said... "  
  
Ryoko bit her lower lip as the tension in her eyes thickened. "I said I was fine... "  
  
"Yes that's right."  
  
Ryoko faced Yuko and said, "I don't mean to change subjects on you, but I have to ask you something."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why did I... " Ryoko's crying unexpectedly increased and she was momentarily unable to speak. Eventually she said, "Sorry, forget it."  
  
"What is it, Ryoko? What did you want to ask me?"  
  
"I wanted to know... " Again Ryoko was unable to talk because of her crying, and with nothing better to do she buried her head in her hands. It frustrated her that every time she wanted to say something she was physically incapable, and as the moment drew out, her frustration turned to anger. Without warning she screamed through her tears, "Why the hell am I crying so much? I can't talk without crying! I'm so sick of crying, it's all I've been doing for the last two days! I hate crying, and I hate crying for no reason! Why the hell am I crying?... And why the hell did I have to stay in the cave for seven hundred years? I wasn't going to do anything bad! I never wanted to do anything bad! Why was everyone so mad at me? I didn't do anything! How do I have anything to do with Jurai? I don't even know what Jurai looks like! I don't even know where it is! I couldn't get there even if I wanted to! Why did I have to stay in the cave for seven hundred years?"  
  
Yuko paused before saying, "Ryoko, no one has ever had good reason to be angry with you. The people who blamed you for their misfortune were mistaken, and you mustn't take their mistake to heart."  
  
"I just want to understand why everyone hates me. I thought I was bad for some reason..."  
  
"Not everybody hates you, Ryoko... you don't believe that do you?"  
  
Her crying intensified and searched for a nearby stone to sit on. "Why else did I go in the cave? I must be horrible somehow, why else is everyone mad at me? They all hated me, especially those men... they hurt me... they wouldn't have done it if I wasn't bad. I can't figure out what I've done... what did I do? Was it just me?"  
  
Yuko went to her and rested her hands on Ryoko's shoulders. "You're not a bad person."  
  
"But those men wouldn't stop! I told them I didn't do anything, but they kept hitting me and yelling at me..."  
  
"They were mistaken... it's not your fault... "  
  
Ryoko reached out and hugged Yuko, crying into her. "But... but... what they did! They... they touched me... They took off my clothes and all of them touched me. I told them to stop but they wouldn't listen. They tried to put it in my mouth... I couldn't get away... I couldn't get away... I had to open my mouth or they would hit me. Why were they doing that? I didn't do anything wrong! I never attacked Jurai! I kept telling them that but they kept pushing it in my face... Even though I didn't do anything wrong... I still did it for them... they said I was a slut... It's true... I did it on my own for no reason... I did it to all of them over and over whenever they wanted... I even swallowed it... I'm nothing but a filthy slut!"  
  
Yuko hugged Ryoko back. "You're not, Ryoko. You were scared. It wasn't your fault."  
  
"But I did it! I did it over and over! They would stand in front of me and I would be waiting with my mouth open like a stupid bitch waiting to be fed. I don't deserve to live!"  
  
"You know that isn't true, Ryoko. It wasn't your fault."  
  
"It's true! It's true because it's the only reason why Tenchi likes me. He likes me because I'm so easy. He could have had me whenever he wanted... it's not like I would have said no... I'm such a whore! It's true because I would have done it easily! That makes it true! I'm a worthless whore!"  
  
Yuko patted Ryoko on the back. "There, there... just keep crying... crying is good..."  
  
Ryoko thought for sure that this was the end of everything. Now that the truth about her is out she knew they would condemn her, and maybe even put her back inside the cave. "I'm such an embarrassment! Nobody wants me going outside the house anymore because they're embarrassed of me. They're embarrassed because I always look like a whore... I am a whore... I wouldn't push other guys away if I didn't belong to Tenchi. I'm such a whore!"  
  
"Ryoko... you're none of those things... please don't say that."  
  
"I'm so sorry mom... I'm so sorry! I'm a failure... "  
  
Yuko continued to hold her silently. She had never seen a person despise themselves this much, and it made her think of what Washu had said about Ryoko not being able to kill herself. It was possible that she never encountered such a person before because they had committed suicide before she could meet with them.  
  
Ryoko cried for exactly twenty-three minutes. It was one of Yuko's practices to time how long it took her patients to stop crying, it helped her analyze them on a more statistical level. Twenty-three minutes was above average, but it was less than what Yuko predicted. When Ryoko's tears finally came to a close, she could hear Ryoko's throat swallowing, a sign that she was suppressing emotions. Ryoko slowly pulled away from Yuko's embrace. "I'm sorry for wasting your time."  
  
"You're not wasting my time. You're a very charming young woman whose come to believe some nasty things about herself."  
  
"But all of it is true... it is!"  
  
Yuko rested her hand on Ryoko's brow and said, "Ryoko, there's something I'd like to try that might help you. It's actually a very old method but it still works... if you're willing, that is."  
  
"... What is it?"  
  
"A long time ago, about four thousand years, the humans who lived here began noticing their Juraian ancestry. Although their abilities are lax because of their distance from the First Tree, they still retain the essence of power within all Juraians. What they noticed was that they could control how energy flowed through their bodies, and conduct this energy for therapeutic healing. After thousands of years they have nearly perfected the method, and they have come to call it 'Acupuncture'."  
  
Ryoko sniffed and asked, "Isn't that where they stick needles everywhere?"  
  
Yuko nodded. "Since Earthlings were unfamiliar with the use of their Jurai power, they found that channels of energy could be redirected using needles, which behaved as physical switch stations for their energy. I have no need for such crude methods, I can do this for you using my Jurai power."  
  
"Would it work? I'm not Juraian... what if my energy doesn't flow the same?"  
  
Startled, Yuko said, "You're not Juraian? That cannot be... I can feel your energy, and it is unmistakably Juraian. You're mother was Juraian, and she lived their for most of her life."  
  
Ryoko appeared just as confused as Yuko. "I don't know... I just... " She stood and paced away from Yuko. "Maybe I am! I don't know... "  
  
Realizing that she frightened her, Yuko said, "Ryoko, please don't go. I could very well be wrong, there's no need to be frightened. In any case, I believe this technique should work on you. Even if you aren't Juraian, I can sense that you're energy is similar enough that you're body will respond properly."  
  
Ryoko looked back to Yuko and shivered as a gust of wind caught her soaked face. "I-I... guess... "  
  
Yuko paused and then said, "Alright, I'll need you to sit down over here."  
  
Ryoko nodded and returned to the stone she was sitting on.  
  
"I need you to trust me, and repeat everything I say."  
  
"Alright...."  
  
With one hand, Yuko placed her index and ring finger between Ryoko's eyes, spacing them by the bridge of her nose. She then centered her middle finger on Ryoko's forehead just above her brow line. With here other hand she cupped the back of her head and held the positions. She pushed a current of energy through her fingers that she received with the hand behind Ryoko's head. "Say 'I am a bad person...'"  
  
"I am a bad person."  
  
"... I don't deserve anyone's love..."  
  
"I don't deserve anyone's love."  
  
"... I don't deserve to live."  
  
"I don't deserve to live."  
  
"Now I want you to hold those thoughts in you head."  
  
Yuko held her position and kept the current running while Ryoko thought about the words. Ryoko didn't feel anything from saying them and she wondered what that meant about her.  
  
Yuko said, "Don't worry, the process always starts with those three. Now I need you to say 'I am a good person...' "  
  
"Uh... I... am a good person."  
  
"... I am not a slut..."  
  
"I'm... I'm not a slut."  
  
"... I deserve to be loved."  
  
"I deserve to be loved."  
  
Another moment passed while she repeated the words in her head. As expected, Yuko's energy was being resisted by Ryoko's subconscious, and she increased the current in response. Ryoko felt the points on her face go numb. Emotions with no language swirled in her mind, and she felt tears swelling in her eyes. She said, "I'm sorry if I'm screwing this up..."  
  
"You're doing wonderful, Ryoko... " She paused briefly before continuing. "Now say... 'Tenchi does not think I am a whore...' "  
  
"Tenchi does not think I'm a whore."  
  
"... he loves me for who I am..."  
  
"He loves me... for who I am."  
  
"... and he respects my body and my love."  
  
"He respects my... body... and..." A sob stopped her and she couldn't start again.  
  
Yuko strained to push past Ryoko's subconscious and she said, "Please say it, Ryoko. You have to say it."  
  
"He... He respects my love..."  
  
Ryoko's mind felt as though it were ripping at the point of Yuko's middle finger, and she struggled to hold her head still.  
  
Yuko's hand behind Ryoko's head patted her gently. "You're almost there... just a few more to go..."  
  
She cried, "No... I don't want to do anymore... "  
  
"You can do it Ryoko... You have to try. Say, 'What happened in the cave wasn't my fault...' "  
  
"What happened... in the cave... wasn't my fault."  
  
"... I only did what I did because I was scared..."  
  
"I only... I only did it because... I was scared."  
  
"... I forgive the men that abused me."  
  
"I... I forgive the men... that.... abused me."  
  
Yuko felt all resistances vanish and she released her head. Ryoko threw her arms around her and sobbed with no inhibition. The end of these tears came sooner than the ones from before, and where her last tears diminished like a valve being fought to closure, these tears faded like a tap running dry.  
  
After a long moment of silence Yuko asked, "How do you feel?"  
  
"... Kind of empty. Is that right?"  
  
Yuko nodded. "Yes, you've emptied a lot of negative feelings..."  
  
"So... what... am I fixed or something?"  
  
"I don't think anyone can ever be truly 'fixed', but I think we've accomplished some major repairs. How do you feel about yourself now?"  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "I don't know..." She paused and then added, "Is that a bad thing?"  
  
Yuko smiled and shook her head. "It's perfectly normal. A lot of you're preconceptions about yourself have been washed away, so naturally you have no opinions about yourself. You're starting fresh."  
  
"I won't turn into someone else, will I?"  
  
Yuko shook her head with a laugh. "I should hope not! You're still Ryoko and you always will be Ryoko no matter what. If you be yourself and are honest with you're feelings, you'll remember who you were seven hundred years ago."  
  
Ryoko slowly nodded, understanding what she meant. She then said, "About those things I said... I couldn't believe what I was saying even as it was happening. It's like they came out on their own. How come I never knew that I felt that way about myself? I mean... I had no idea that I considered myself to be a... yanno..."  
  
Yuko sat down on a rock close by and looked at Ryoko at eye level. "It was a subconscious thought that made you believe those things without realizing it. You made a judgment about yourself when you did what you did in the cave, you judged yourself to be someone who distributes herself openly."  
  
After a moment Ryoko said, "I'm not... Well I... I would never..."  
  
Yuko smiled. "Yes, that's right. You're mother tells me you were a very shy little girl, and I bet that's still true. The true purpose of my profession is to help people recover from the pain of living life, and bring them as close as possible to the perfection that they were at birth. We may grow old and learn many things, but we will always be the same person we were when we were born."  
  
Ryoko looked to the ground as she thought about what Yuko said. "... Heh... I'm still the same person... It feels strange to think about."  
  
"Yes... you are Ryoko Hakubi, please never forget that."  
  
Ryoko smiled as she tested the name. ".. Hakubi... I remember that..."   
  
"You should try and see if you can remember other things. You know your mother says that you memory was never erased, only suppressed... by you."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes... She suspects it has something to do with Kagato. I would like to talk with you about him..."  
  
Ryoko's eyes widened before she forced a laugh. "Kagato? ... Heh... we don't need to talk about him. There's nothing really to say."  
  
Yuko smiled. "If you insist. For now I think you should rest, and think about what we've talked about." Yuko then stood and straightened her clothes.  
  
Ryoko said, "Thank you."  
  
"Thank you for allowing me to help you. It has been a true honor."  
  
Ryoko smiled modestly, unsure of how to respond.   
  
Yuko said, "Well, I believe it is time for me to be on my way."  
  
Ryoko stood and said, "No, you don't need to go."  
  
"I insist. Also, weren't you looking for Princess Aeka?"  
  
Ryoko flinched at her error. "Uh, yeah I was... "  
  
"Then I wouldn't want to keep you any longer. I hope to see you again some time, not too long alright?"  
  
"Yeah, seeya." Ryoko waved as Yuko slowly starting her way to the shrine steps.  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
Washu was sitting on a bench in one of the resting points along the shrine steps, and her gaze was fixed on the stones below her. She saw a pair of feet stand in front of her, and she looked to see that it was Yuko.  
  
Yuko saw red in Washu's eyes and she asked, "Washu, have you been crying?"  
  
Washu lowered her head back to the stones below her. "I heard all of it, you know. It isn't like I eavesdropped on purpose, our minds are connected and I would have heard it no matter how far I went. I'm sorry, I know those are supposed to be confidential."  
  
Yuko sat next to Washu. "It's alright. Considering the circumstances I think that can be overlooked."  
  
Washu rubbed the last bit of moisture from her eyes. "How come she never told me? I had no idea she was so depressed. Even with our connection I never sensed any of this."  
  
"Didn't you say that if Ryoko knew how, she could keep certain things from you like how you keep certain things from her?"  
  
Washu nodded. "Yeah, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't know how to do that yet."  
  
"Our subconscious is a very powerful thing, and while I don't know very much about the science of behind it, I can guess her subconscious found a way to hide it from you. It might be similar how it hid from Ryoko's own knowing."  
  
Washu covered her eyes with her hand exactly the same way Yuko saw Ryoko do earlier. "For being a genius I'm feeling really stupid right now. I thought the technology was perfect... I thought I was hearing all of her thoughts. I only asked you to speak with her so she could talk to you about things she was too nervous to talk with me about. I didn't know she hated herself... "  
  
Yuko saw Washu tremble and she pulled head to rest on her shoulder. "Oh dear, it'll be alright, Washu. No one can be perfect. There's no way you could have known such things if you didn't have the connection with your daughter, you shouldn't blame yourself for not seeing it."  
  
"... I must have sounded like such an idiot... 'Yes, Mother, I can do it. I can raise a child. Let me have a baby, it wont be that hard.' I just know she's going to turn to my sisters and say, 'See... this is how you're not supposed to raise a child.'"  
  
Yuko shook her head. "Oh no, Washu, she wouldn't say that. I think you're doing a wonderful job."  
  
Washu dried her eyes. "You're just being nice. If things weren't so horrible I might believe you... "  
  
"I think the worst is over for you and her. There is still a long way to go, but it will only get better from here. However, I can tell she won't be ready to talk about Kagato for a great deal of time."  
  
Hesitantly, Washu asked, "Do you think that she... still wants to kill herself?"  
  
"I don't think she wishes to die anymore. I can only base that on my experience in the matter, so I cannot guarantee it to be fact. It all depends on how deeply Kagato wounded her."  
  
Washu faintly smiled. "I trust you." A moment later she added, "I was really surprised how quickly she responded to you're questions. I didn't think you would get so far so quickly."  
  
Yuko nodded. "She was ready to tell me. I don't think what I've done was that amazing."  
  
Washu lifted her head off Yuko's shoulder and said, "The way you sounded... it was really incredible. You're a miracle worker, I'm so lucky to have found you."  
  
Yuko smiled. "It wasn't luck. I noticed you were having some trouble and I thought I would give you a hand. It's what I'm here for."  
  
Washu glanced at Yuko with a questioning look. What she said didn't make any sense to her. There was no way Yuko could have known about Washu before she met her.  
  
Yuko smiled and patted Washu on the head. "I hope you still recognize you're old mother, even if I am in this new body."  
  
Washu's eyes went wide as she realized whom she was talking to. "Mom..." Washu threw her arms around her mother. "I've missed you."  
  
"I've missed you too. I had a feeling you were going to need my help, so I decided to live as Yuko Kobayashi. You have my phone number, so you can call me whenever you need my help, or if you just want to talk."  
  
"Mom, why did you live as a Juraian on Earth? You'll die soon... "  
  
Yuko laughed. "This old body still has a few hundred years left in it. I won't be leaving you early, when I go it'll be at exactly the right time. You don't have to worry about me; I've birthed and died a thousand times. Dying may sound terrible from you're perspective... this is only you're second life, you'll get better at it with practice."  
  
Washu pulled away from her Mother and rubbed her eyes. "Thank you for coming to see me. It'll be really nice to have someone to lean on again."  
  
"You know you can always talk to me, even if I'm not living as someone close by."  
  
Washu nodded. "I know... I guess I just get caught up in things."  
  
Yuko caught a glance of her watch and said, "Oh my, I really must be going. I told Yuu I would be home before 2:30."  
  
"Yuu?"  
  
"He's a charming man I met three hundred years ago. Before I knew it I was married to him. How time does fly..."  
  
Washu laughed. "Married too? You waste no time enjoying ever aspect of life."  
  
"Of course... I made it, after all." Yuko placed her hand on Washu's shoulder. "This reminds me of something I wanted to ask you. When are you going to forgive that rotten boy that broke you're heart?"  
  
Washu blinked. "Well, uh..."  
  
"If it's really troubling you then you can call me later on."  
  
"Mikamo... he really hit a soft spot... I don't think I can forgive him quite yet."  
  
Yuko nodded. "Yes, I can tell. You bear more of a grudge against him than you do Kagato."  
  
Washu glanced away and didn't respond.  
  
Yuko rose to her feet and said, "I think I must be leaving. Please call me, Washu. I really want to help you with this."  
  
Washu shifted her eyes towards her mother and quietly said, "I will, Mom."  
  
Yuko leaned down and kissed Washu on the cheek. "I love you."  
  
"... Love you."  
  
Yuko patted Washu on the shoulder one last time before leaving.  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
At the top of the hill, Ryoko stretched and breathed deeply, smelling the air as if it were candy. Her mind never felt so stable and clear, it was like viewing the world through a new window. She wanted to go find Washu and tell her everything on her mind, but she promised Sasami she would find Aeka.  
  
She glanced around one more time to see if there were any obvious hints towards her whereabouts, and in doing so she noticed the gate in front of the cave was slightly ajar.  
  
On closer examination it was clear a person had opened it and Ryoko considered entering the cave to see if Aeka was there.   
  
There's no reason for Aeka to go in there, she thought.  
  
Another thought battled her first thought. What if she is in there? Is it worth skipping only because you thought it was unlikely?  
  
Do you feel her Jurai energy nearby? I know I sure don't. Lets move along already!  
  
Feeling her energy or not feeling it doesn't amount to much and you know it. You're spending more time arguing over it than it would take to fly through real quick and see for yourself.  
  
Fine, then we'll hit it on the way back, okay?  
  
Why not right now? You're sanding right here.  
  
Because I don't feel like it.  
  
You're scared.  
  
"I'm not scared!" Ryoko shouted, startling herself at the same time. Echoes of her voice bounced through the cave and the word "scared" repeated until gradually fading to nothing.  
  
With a rigid arm, Ryoko tipped the gate so that it fell open on its own. She marched into the cave without a second thought about her fears. She knew the way well, and it wasn't long before she arrived at the first chamber.  
  
Hesitantly, she called Aeka's name. "A-Aeka?" It came out as a timid squeak, and the walls made sure she heard it several times before letting it rest. She felt herself shaking, despite her tolerance of freezing temperatures.   
  
I'm not afraid of anything in this cave, and if I want to make myself known I'm going to do it god damnit!  
  
"Aeka!?! Are you here!?!"  
  
There was silence following her echoes, but to Ryoko's ear it wasn't perfect silence. There was something bumping the atoms in the air nearby but she couldn't make out what it was. She knew she was going to have to search everywhere now, and when she saw the black gap in the wall leading down to her prison her stomach fell to her feet.  
  
She started walking towards the gap, although it felt more like she was being pushed and she couldn't do anything to stop. She leaned her head through the gap and again called Aeka's name, this time quivering as she said it. "A-a..e-ek...a?"  
  
She then heard, "Ryoko," from below. It was Aeka, and Ryoko could tell she was freezing.  
  
Ryoko's fears vanished, knowing that she would never be able to save Aeka if she continued to let them get the best of her. She flew down the slope and landed softly at the bottom.  
  
She saw Aeka scrunched up in a ball on the floor and she and went to her. "What the hell are you doing down here?" She lifted Aeka's body and sat her upright.   
  
"A...c..ce..dent.."  
  
Ryoko clutched her tightly, trying to give her as much warmth as she could. "But why stay down here?"  
  
"... A..nk..le"  
  
Ryoko noticed how she was more careful with her left ankle, and figured it was a sprain. "I'm going to teleport you out of here, okay? Close your eyes as much as you can... the light is going to hurt."  
  
"Wai..t- Plea..se.. just take... me to the bath"  
  
Ryoko paused briefly to silently acknowledge the request. She then lifted off and vanished.  
  
Aeka felt scorching air around her. Her eyes burned no matter how tightly she shut them and she pulled at Ryoko's clothes to help block the sun.  
  
Ryoko said, "Okay, okay, hold on.." She shifted Aeka so that her eyes rested into her shoulder, blocking out most light. "We're here... I'm going to put you into the water now, okay?"  
  
"A-Alright..."  
  
"... Here we go. It's going to feel very warm."With Aeka still in her arms, Ryoko lowered herself into the water. When the water reached Aeka she gasped at the burning temperature.  
  
Still blind, Aeka felt Ryoko pulling off her clothes. "What are you doing!?"  
  
"They've got to come off or you'll take longer to thaw out. C'mon princess... No reason to be shy, its only me."  
  
Aeka tested to see if her eyes were adjusted, but the light was too much when she peeled away from Ryoko's shoulder the slightest bit. She sighed and said, "I'm so ashamed."  
  
Ryoko started cupping water in her hands and pouring it across Aeka's back. "Why's that?"  
  
"I barged into your cave just because I was curious. I injured myself in doing so and became stranded. And what I saw only made things worse."  
  
"Oh? Was there something unexpected about it?"  
  
"They crucified you... we crucified you... I couldn't imagine how much worse that made things... "  
  
Aeka felt Ryoko shrug and heard her say, "... Don't worry about it. I never held a grudge against you. You were in space when it all happened, right?"  
  
"I was. I-I really don't know what happened that day. When I first came to Earth I didn't know about your gems and how they controlled you... I thought you were actually in league with Kagato. That's why I attacked you with little warning."  
  
"It's alright, Aeka. You actually did a good thing. If you hadn't stopped me I would have gone back to Kagato myself. I probably would have killed Tenchi, too."  
  
Aeka forced herself to sit upright and see Ryoko through her squeezed eyelids. "What? Kill Tenchi... and return to Kagato?"  
  
"When I first came out of the cave I was... very... messed up. It's hard to explain but, when I saw Tenchi grow up I didn't interpret my feelings correctly. I didn't know that I was feeling love; I just knew I wanted to play with him. It never occurred to me that I was playing too rough. I would have never expected to kill him, even though I almost did. Even when he attacked me back I still thought it was a game. It was only when he cut off my hand that I realized he was fighting for his life. I was a little embarrassed, so I made it out to be no big deal and disappeared."  
  
Aeka's eyes were now able to see clearly, and she saw Ryoko's sullen expression. "I had no idea that you two fought like that. When did this happen?"  
  
"It was only an hour before you showed up, actually. I felt you approaching so I waited for Tenchi at his house to try and escape with him. I don't know what I was thinking... I knew after a while I would have just gone back to Kagato. Tenchi would have been abandoned somewhere or killed."  
  
"I don't understand... why would you have gone back to him? I thought you hated him."  
  
Ryoko nodded lightly. "I did hate him. I hated him every single moment I was alive."  
  
"Then why go back?"  
  
Ryoko starred at Aeka, trying to think of the easiest way to explain it. She said, "... Fear."  
  
"Oh... "  
  
"Don't sweat it, princess. You saved me, in a sense, and you saved Tenchi."  
  
Aeka shrugged. "... I don't see how I saved you... "  
  
Ryoko put her hand on her shoulder. "You did. You stopped me from hurting myself. That's no different than stopping other people from hurting me."  
  
Aeka slowly started to nod. "I suppose... However, I wasn't exactly thinking along those lines at the moment."  
  
Ryoko smiled and said, "We'll just look past that detail." A moment later she added, "Are you feeling better? You were freezing when I found you."  
  
"Yeah I think I'll be okay. Thank you... I could have died."  
  
Ryoko stumbled over her words, saying, "Heh- well- uh- don't thank me. You're my friend, and... I-I'll always save you, no matter what."  
  
Aeka saw her blush and she knew she must have been doing the same. Trying to move the subject along she said, "Oh! You're clothes! You've been wearing them the whole time."  
  
Ryoko laughed. "It's no problem... I wanted to take a bath anyway."  
  
While Ryoko pulled off her garments Aeka said, "If you're okay with it, I'd like to know what happened when you fought my brother that day."  
  
Ryoko's movements slowed as she thought of what she was asking her. "I... uh... won't go into details, but I can tell you what happened."  
  
"Please, anything you can say I would like to know."  
  
Ryoko eased back into the warm water with a sigh. "I might as well tell you how it happened from my perspective. What I remember last was sitting in my room on the Souja. Then I blinked, and I saw Yosho's sword embedded into my throat, lifting me off the ground. At first I was in shock, because Kagato usually never released control of me during the mission. Usually I blink and find myself still in my room, but beaten from what I assume was me fighting. This time it was different, and I quickly realized what had happened. My gems were removed and Kagato had no control over me."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
Ryoko paused before continuing. "At first I was happy. I thought if someone could beat me, then they could probably beat Kagato too. I'll just say that I was thanking Yosho... a lot."  
  
Aeka silently said, "Oh. Were you... kissing him, and things like that?"  
  
Ryoko glanced at her. "No, I wasn't. I didn't know what a kiss was back then. I didn't know much about genders either, since the only other person I've ever known was Kagato. Whenever I asked him why I didn't look like him he always said it was because my current form was 'convenient', and there was no need to change it."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
Ryoko continued, "Anyway, once Yosho figured out what was going on, he helped me heal my wounds. He asked me who I was and where I came from, and I told him what I knew. And..."  
  
A moment after Ryoko trailed off Aeka said, "Yes? What is it?"  
  
Ryoko quickly blurted out, "And then he called you're dad, and they fought for a few days, and I went into the cave, the end."  
  
Aeka gave an awkward smile. "Was it really so bad?"  
  
"Bad isn't quite the right word for it. It was just... not something to be shared casually."  
  
"Oh, I see... Thank you for telling me what you could."  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "No problem. In my opinion, I think Yosho should tell you what happened. He's probably the right person to break it to you."  
  
Aeka eyes narrowed. "Why should he be the one to tell me? And what do you mean 'break it to me'?"  
  
Ryoko looked away and itched her nose. "Uh... I think he should tell you."  
  
Aeka crossed her arms. "Have it your way. I suppose I'll find out what the big deal is when I ask him."  
  
Ryoko nodded and smiled. "Yeah... I wouldn't want a repeat of last night. I felt really bad after that..."  
  
Aeka sat forward as her spine went rigid. "A repeat of last night? Is that why you want Yosho to tell me? Does it have anything to do with what you wanted Tenchi to tell me?"  
  
"Oh God... me and big mouth," She said while sinking into the water.  
  
"I can't believe this... are you saying that Yosho loves you too!?"  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, I don't love him back. He's a complete asshole."  
  
Aeka stood in outrage. "You mean he does love you? This is unbelievable!! This is probably why he broke our engagement! This is probably why he never returned to Jurai! It was all because of you!"  
  
Ryoko jumped to her feet and grabbed Aeka's shoulders. "Listen! I didn't want this to happen! Before I hated him I didn't know what love was, so it wasn't my fault he started to like me. Trust me, Aeka; he's NOT worth the effort. He's a lying two faced bastard!"  
  
Aeka tried to control her rage by forcing deep breathing. She had to remind herself that this new information did not change her situation, and that Yosho wouldn't have married her whether or not she knew his purposes. Once before she privately grieved her loss and now she had to do so again. Except this time the path was familiar, and she traveled it faster. "I... I'll be okay."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes. Yosho did not want my hand in marriage, and nothing you have said has changed that. I should only feel grief if my situation worsens, and it has remained the same."  
  
Ryoko gave Aeka a quick hug and went back to her place before. "I'm glad, Aeka. I honestly don't mean to keep doing this to you..."  
  
Aeka sighed and sat back into the water. "It would be unfair to blame you for something like that. I'm not unreasonable where I would accuse you of wrongdoing just to satisfy my own peace of mind."  
  
Ryoko slowly nodded. She then asked, "What do you see in him, anyways?"  
  
Irritated, Aeka turned things back onto Ryoko. "Why do you not like him? If I were in you're position I would be forced to break Tenchi's heart to be with him."  
  
"I don't like him because he left me in the cave for seven hundred years. He had no choice to put me in there in the first place, because other Juraians were threatening his life. But they left after a few years and there was no reason for me to stay inside. He's horrible."  
  
After a short silence, Aeka said, "Since I was uninvolved with those events, I cannot properly defend his intentions... but I know that he is not a man that is cruel on purpose. "   
  
"Whatever. Until he explains himself, he's just as bad as those other bastards. Ironic that he killed them to save me. What was he saving me from, anyway? All he did was replace my clothes and clean my face, he still left me inside even after that."  
  
At first Aeka didn't know who she was referring to, but she soon realized that she meant the farmers that invaded her cave. "I... I wish I could tell you, honestly I do. I understand what it feels like for misfortune to happen for no apparent reason, but... you mustn't compare Yosho to the vile that hurt you. They were simply Earthling farmers, correct? They couldn't have known the situation, and even though it was us who... issued to the order to place you in the cave, I have no doubt that even my father would have defended you just the same."  
  
Ryoko tilted her head. "I don't know, Aeka. I don't think your dad would have defended me. He probably would have lined up with the rest of them."  
  
"H-How could you say that? Even if he lost his sense after what happened, he's not the kind of man to do something so... so repulsive! My father is a very respectable man."  
  
Ryoko sat forward to project her voice better. "Look, I'm only saying he didn't like me very much. I'm surprised he didn't attack me on sight when he came to visit a few years ago."  
  
Aeka found it difficult to defend her position with little knowledge of what happened. She knew her father was a better man than Ryoko was making him out to be, but she could only offer her word and nothing else. "Maybe... maybe he just needed time. Yosho told him about the gems, right?"  
  
"Yeah, he told him. Your dad understood it just fine, but he was so pissed off he didn't really care that I was being controlled."  
  
Aeka slowly nodded. "I'm not excusing his decision... but I think that is why you were put into the cave. He understood that you were being controlled... that's why I cannot see him wishing to cause you harm directly. For that mater, I don't see how any Juraian could place personal blame on you for what happened."  
  
Ryoko winced on the inside as she tried to think of a way to tell Aeka she was wrong. "Aekaaaa... I don't think every Juraian is as rational as you make them sound. Some of them still think I'm to blame."  
  
"Don't be absurd. How could they make such a mistake? Was the news of how you were being manipulated spread? Or was that classified? I hardly think it's a difficult concept to grasp..."  
  
Ryoko laughed nervously. "You'd think that... but some people are stubborn. I don't think it was kept a secret, I don't see why it would have been. Unless, that is, they wanted to use me as a scapegoat just to appease the people of Jurai." Ryoko saw Aeka get ready to explode, and she quickly added, "... but I don't think it was kept secret... because I've met a Juraian, and they were very nice to me."  
  
Aeka's expression cooled. "You see? Juraians are not so barbaric as to take out their angst on another person in such a filthy way."  
  
"Well... uh... Aeka... I really don't think everyone is so nice..."  
  
"Not another word of it! The Earthlings were acting out of ignorance, and there is no comparison to Yosho."  
  
A long pause passed before Ryoko narrowly folded her arms and said, "Aeka, the men who abused me in the cave were Juraian."  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
Tenchi entered the arcade where he was supposed to meet Amagasaki. It still looked exactly the same as it did years ago when they were still in High School. Even the games themselves were unchanged, which helped explain why the arcade was empty. They were all at least two years outdated and no one would be interested.  
  
He didn't see Amagasaki anywhere near by, so he went to the front desk to ask if the clerk had seen anyone. "Excuse me..." Tenchi said hesitantly. The clerk was faced away and he appeared involved in something. "Has anyone stopped by recently? Someone who's kind of short... and uh... wide..."  
  
The clerk spun around and glared at him. "Tenchi you nimrod! It's me! Amagasaki!"  
  
Tenchi could only stand and blink. The man standing before him wasn't the overweight greasy kid he remembered from high school, he was physically fit and freshly groomed. "What?! Amagaski?! Jeez, man, what did you do to yourself?"  
  
"I realized how foolish it was too let my physical appearance slip, so I worked to become the sexy beast I know I am!"  
  
Tenchi sweat nervously. "Uh... you're really proud of yourself, aren't you..."  
  
"Of course! The ladies love me... far more than that little operation of yours at yours house."  
  
"I wouldn't really call it an 'operation'..."  
  
Amagasaki held up his hand. "No need to explain. My shift is almost over, so we can go to that restaurant across the street to talk."  
  
"What are we talking about?"  
  
Amagasaki grinned. "So much..."  
  
Ten minutes later Tenchi was sipping a cola in the restaurant. It was a quiet place that served burgers and fries, nothing special. Being as empty as it was, Tenchi found it strange that Amagasaki chose a seat in the farthest and darkest corner of the establishment.  
  
"So what's up?" Tenchi asked casually.  
  
"It's good to see you, but I really came to talk to you because I desperately need your help."  
  
"What's the problem?"  
  
Amagasaki glanced around suspiciously. "Well, ever since I became the handsome specimen you see before you I have been a complete babe magnet. I actually used to be jealous of you and that house of yours, but not anymore!"  
  
Tenchi forced a smile. "Oh is that so?"  
  
"Yes... I have many female friends and I'm always getting more. As wonderful as women are, they empty my wallet incredibly fast... and as many as I have... my income from the arcade isn't going to be enough."  
  
Tenchi's brows furrowed. "Perhaps you should just find one woman that makes you happy, and not play games with so many at once."  
  
Amagasaki belted out a raucous laugh. "Please Tenchi! That's too much! You're killin' me here!"  
  
"Uh-"  
  
Amagasaki cut him off before Tenchi could say more. "Let's stay focused... My problem is that my savings are slowly dwindling. Now I'm not asking you to bail me out... well, sort of... I'm more asking if you would like to make a business arrangement."  
  
"What do you mean business arrangement?"  
  
"I think I might be able to arrange it so the girls earn their stay. You see these girls are very fond of me, so much that they really like to try and look cool in front of me. When I take them to my apartment they're always a bit shy at first... but without too much trouble I can always get them to do pretty much anything at all. It's like an art form. At the best part is I only have to do it once. The next time I see them they're easy lays."  
  
Anger boiled inside of Tenchi, but he fought to control it. "Amagasaki... you're personal business is your own even though I may not agree with it. I have no idea what this is leading to, but you better explain very fast before I lose my patience."  
  
"Well excuse me! Some of us aren't so lucky to have five girls dropped on our lap like you did! Some of us had to go out and work for it. I don't care if you agree with my methods, but don't think you're any better than me."  
  
"Just get on with it! What do you want from me?"  
  
"I'd like to borrow a small bit of money from you to keep my current interests with me. But don't think of it as a loan, think of it as an investment... I'll be returning your funds and then some within a few months. I'm confident in my abilities..."  
  
Tenchi only became more confused. "Lend you money? But I can barely pay for my own expenses. I'm in no position to lend you money."  
  
"Oh please, don't throw that line at me. You must be pulling it in by the millions with that house of yours. If you give me just fifty thousand yen I'll have enough time to slowly get these girls used to the idea. They just need to get used to it, and once they do the money starts flowing."  
  
It suddenly occurred to Tenchi that Amagasaki was trying to prostitute girls. He stood up and started to leave.  
  
"Hey! Where do you think you're going!?"  
  
"I really don't want to make a scene, so I'm going to pretend I never spoke to you today. You had better not act out anything you've suggested, or I will kill you."  
  
Amagasaki stood and faced Tenchi. "It's just like you to be a greedy bastard and horde the market like that! You've got plenty of money! Especially with those girls of yours! I've seen them myself... you've got all the bases covered as far as fetishes go."  
  
"It isn't like that! Come to my house and see for yourself if you have to!"  
  
Amagasaki wasn't about to give up. "Stop throwing those lines around! You know damn well what I'm talking about. You probably make so much money off of them you could retire now! And you've got that blue haired one... you can tell a mile away she's a total sleaze. Hell, you probably make a fortune off of her alone. Why don't you just lend me her for a little while until I can get on my feet."  
  
"Lend her to you?! You bastard! You don't know what you're saying!"  
  
"Don't be so possessive! If you don't want to do that then why not have her take on a few at the same time? People pay even more for that kind of stuff... and I bet the bitch would love it! You could give the extra money to me--"  
  
Tenchi suddenly found himself tightening his grip around Amagasaki's throat. Amagasaki fell too his knees, too shocked to react. "You bastard! You don't even understand! I'm not running any kind of business! I could never make them do something so shameful! How dare you disgrace them like that! How dare you disgrace Ryoko! She would kill you herself if she heard what you said! I should kill you!"  
  
By now Amagasaki's face was blue and he was beginning to lose consciousness. The single waiter on duty had been standing by the entire time pleading with Tenchi to release him, but Tenchi didn't even notice him. The only thing that Tenchi was thinking about was strangling every last breath from Amagasaki.  
  
The chef of the restaurant, who happened to be Juraian, recognized Tenchi and knew that only he would be strong enough to stop him. He rushed to the scene and pulled Tenchi off of Amagasaki, using all of his Jurai power just to do so. Tenchi struggle against him and the chef knew he wouldn't be able to hold him forever. Desperate, he hissed into Tenchi's ear. "Prince Tenchi, please restrain yourself! You'll kill him!"  
  
Instantly Tenchi halted. He backed away from the chef and looked him with silent shock. Tenchi knew that Juraians lived on Earth, but he never expected to encounter one. It was a thought that distracted him long enough to regain control. Tenchi said, "Thank you... I... I'm sorry..."  
  
The chef tipped his head and said, "I'm sorry my lord, but I am going to have to call the authorities..."  
  
Tenchi laughed and sat down at the nearest table. "That's fine... I broke the law..."  
  
Five minutes passed and Tenchi's eyes never left the floor. He listened to the paramedics carry Amagasaki away, half of him hoped his injuries wouldn't be too severe, and another half hoped his ambulance would drive off the side of a bridge. There was no shade of gray in his mind. During the commotion, Tenchi noticed a single police car waiting outside. He exited the restaurant and figured this was the moment was supposed to be arrested. However it didn't proceed as he expected. An officer stepped out of the car and held open the back door for Tenchi. He gestured respectfully for him to enter and Tenchi knew that he too must have been Juraian.  
  
Tenchi sat in the back seat of the police car and he was chauffeured to the station.  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
Aeka cried in outrage, "What?"  
  
"My mom was being considerate when she said they were just farmers. It was true they were all farmers, but they were also Juraian."  
  
"You don't know that they were Juraian. What proof could you have?"  
  
Ryoko's voice became quieter. "They knew exactly how to get inside the cave. How could an Earthling know that I was there so soon after the fight? Besides, they said some mean things to me when they... um.... did what they did...... they said things that made it seem they knew about the attack on Jurai."  
  
Ryoko saw Aeka's expression become mortified and she said, "Aeka, don't feel bad! You didn't do anything wrong! They were acting on their own..."  
  
"Please... let me feel humility for this. The reason our planet grew to be so strong has to do with our key philosophy of working for the good of society. Even with populations becoming as grand as they are, we still maintain a sense of unity. If any Juraian acted in such a way... it reflects on the rest of us. Every Juraian raised on our home world would feel this way, it's our way of life."  
  
Ryoko looked down to the water. "Oh... well... is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"  
  
Sympathetic, Aeka said, "No... you've done enough already. I wonder if my father knows... he's the best person to strengthen our unity and should always know when his people act so disgracefully. I only fear that this might feed more prejudice towards Juraian colonists."  
  
"There's prejudice towards colonists? Wouldn't that disrupt you whole idea about unity?"  
  
"Yes... father is trying hard to keep the people open minded. The issue is actually a very old one, and it was one of the reasons he married Lady Funaho even after he was married to my mother. She was an earthling here when he visited for political reasons. The marriage was arranged to show the people he accepted Juraians despite their origin. It was very important for Yosho to become the next king, because only he-being part Earthling and part Juraian-could truly bring unity back to our society."  
  
Ryoko was silent at first, but she eventually muttered, "I don't like that."  
  
"You don't like what?"  
  
"So you're father made something like a treaty with the colonists... that's fine, but why involve Funaho? Did she even like your father? I mean... it seems like a waste of a human being if her only purpose was to sit around and remind people there's a treaty."  
  
Aeka was quieted by Ryoko's sudden views. She said, "What has made you so outspoken all of a sudden? You've never said anything like this before."  
  
"I don't know, I guess it never occurred to me to say anything. But... I'm saying it now..."  
  
Aeka shrugged. "Well... I don't know the details exactly because it really wasn't my place to know that sort of thing. Funaho never seemed like she was upset or unhappy with her life."  
  
Ryoko laughed. "Well that makes sense. She's a treaty, she's supposed to look happy all the time. Who knows what she's really feeling. By the way, what did your mom have to say bout her husband coming home with a second wife?"  
  
Aeka held her elbows and glanced at Ryoko from the corner of her eye. "I'm beginning to think you're trying to insult me."  
  
Ryoko looked at Aeka out of the corner of her eyes. "Not at all, at least I don't mean to be. I'm just trying to figure out why your dad has two wives. If it sounds like I'm insulting you... well... its probably because I'm pointing out the fact that your dad has two wives."  
  
Aeka bit her lower lip. "It's nothing to be shocked at... it's not an uncommon practice..."  
  
Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Oh excuse me! I didn't' know everyone was doing it these days... that makes it perfectly acceptable!"  
  
"I really wish you wouldn't make jokes about something like this. You're talking about things very important to me and... well... you could be more understanding."  
  
Ryoko watched Aeka glance at her with a very serious tone. She leaned back again and said, "You're right... I guess I am being a little cynical. Sorry."  
  
"Uh... apology accepted."  
  
After a short pause Ryoko said, "So, is that something you could see yourself doing?"  
  
"At one point in time I did think about making allowances like that for the benefit of Jurai, but now I don't think that will happen. Neither of the heirs to the throne cares about me."  
  
"You mean Tenchi and Yosho, right? Tenchi doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would like being king, I don't know if he really considers himself as an heir."  
  
Aeka nodded. "That is true, for both him and Yosho. But eventually they must accept their destiny to rule. No one is rushing them to decide of course, like how my father has been waiting for Yosho for five thousand years. Eventually he will take the throne, and Tenchi will too."  
  
It occurred to Ryoko that most likely she'll still be with him even when he does decide to take the throne. She laughed quietly as the thought of being queen spoiled her. "I have to admit, that will take some time getting used to. Oh, and if Tenchi EVER thought of getting a second wife I would slap him senseless."  
  
Aeka couldn't help but to giggle. "That would be funny to see... but... realistically, you have to understand that there might be a chance that Tenchi will need to take up another wife."  
  
"Well then... realistically he'll wind up with only one wife anyways, because I wouldn't put up with that crap for a second."  
  
Aeka tilted her head and said, "Wellllllllll... If Tenchi became king... you wouldn't be allowed to leave him. It would cause too much disruption and people would lose faith in our leadership."  
  
"Well then I hope he doesn't do anything stupid... but honestly I don't think he would. I trust him and he's a real gentlemen. It's why I love him so much."  
  
Aeka saw it was clear Ryoko wasn't going to see things any other way, so she let it rest. After a short silence Aeka said, "Speaking of Tenchi, did he... say anything to you about... you know?"  
  
"I haven't see him since lunch. He was in a hurry too... he said something about meeting a friend at the arcade. He's still acting like usual..."  
  
Aeka cast her eyes down. "Oh."  
  
There was something on Aeka's mind she had been meaning to ask of Ryoko ever since this morning. Knowing that this was an opportune time she timid said, "Uh... Ryoko?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I wanted to ask a favor of you. Something personal. If you don't want to do it I won't blame you. I was hoping that... maybe you could..."  
  
"What can I do for you?"  
  
"When Tenchi finally tells you how he feels... could you... keep you're... affection for one another... private? I will understand if this is too much to ask."  
  
Ryoko instantly knew what she was getting at. Seeing Ryoko and Tenchi together would cause Aeka more grief and it would be disrespectful to her feelings for Tenchi to flaunt their love in front of her. Ryoko said, "Of course, Aeka, I completely understand."  
  
Ryoko sat up partially as Aeka suddenly hugged her. "Thank you. It would have been so painful to see you with him... I mean no offense to you Ryoko... I mean... It's difficult to say..."  
  
Hesitantly Ryoko hugged her back. She said, "It's okay, Aeka. You don't need to say another word. I understand completely."  
  
Aeka pulled away from her and sat back down. "Thank you..."  
  
"It's not a problem. In fact I probably would have kept things private anyway... just because..." Ryoko started to blush. "You know... embarrassing stuff like that."  
  
While Aeka did agree with her that such things are meant to be private, she couldn't believe she was hearing Ryoko speak it. "Are you being sarcastic? I'm sorry; it's a bit too subtle... I thought you were serious."  
  
Ryoko scratched her brow with her index finger. "... I am being serious. I mean... kissing in front of everyone? I would just die of embarrassment. I could never do that."  
  
"Umm... really Ryoko your sarcasm is still a bit too subtle. I don't understand your meaning."  
  
Ryoko glanced at Aeka with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not quite sure how else to say it. I'm not joking... I'm being completely honest... The most daring public display I can see myself doing is holding his hand. Anything above that I would have to get some real courage for."  
  
Aeka stared at Ryoko. After a minute passed Ryoko said, "What?"  
  
"You've never been so modest about such things before. Y-you're always showing off your body to him and you've never shown any problems with even... s-sleeping with him! You've even suggested that one time that we share him! I know you weren't being serious... and I'm not saying you're way of showing affection is bad-as unique as it may be-but what your telling me now is ridiculous to believe!"  
  
Ryoko was silent for a moment. It surprised her that reminders of how she used to act were hurtful to hear. She said, "Aeka, I... I uh talked with someone earlier today and I got a lot of things off my chest that I didn't even know were bothering me. I wont go into details, but I will say that I wasn't being myself. I know that may be kind of hard to believe after seeing me tease Tenchi the way I have for four years, but it's true. I'm actually very nervous about how Tenchi will return my feelings. He may be expecting a different person... because I know I'm not going to do some things with him I was planning on doing before."  
  
"Ryoko... I don't know what to say. I've become so used to the way you act that I've come to appreciate your boldness. I'm not sure if I should be happy for you or not... that part of you was so unique... quite honestly I sometimes admired your courage."  
  
Ryoko nodded. "I understand where you're coming from, but I'm not that kind of person. I have no doubt that that a woman could be as free spirited as I was pretending to be... but that's just not me. I know this sounds very shocking... it was shocking to me when I said it myself."  
  
Unsure of what else to say, Aeka asked, "What kind of person are you now?"  
  
"It's not 'now', it's 'was'. I've gotten over what happened with the cave, and I'm back to my normal self again. To answer your question though, I guess what I would really like is someone I can trust, someone who wont be too pushy about kissy stuff, and someone who loves me for who I am and not my body."  
  
Aeka smiled. "Ryoko, that's so sweet. I suppose then that I will say that I am happy for you."  
  
Ryoko blushed and scratched her head. "Thank you."  
  
Interested that she now could relate to Ryoko in such things, Aeka wanted to know even more. "So, do you plan on waiting until you're married before you sleep together or will you do it before?"  
  
Ryoko blushed. "Well... I don't know... I guess it depends on how I feel... I haven't even kissed him yet. I'll probably wait, but if he's really charming about it... maybe... I don't know."  
  
"Wow, you'll even wait until you're married? If it were me I honestly can say I wouldn't be able to wait."  
  
Shocked at what she was hearing, Ryoko gasped, "Aeka!"  
  
"I don't find anything wrong with it. It IS mutual attraction after all." Aeka giggled.  
  
"That's true. Tenchi is a handsome man, but I'm still really nervous because... well... I... uh... never... you know... and uh... in my mom's memory I saw that it... kind of hurts a little... at first."  
  
Baffled, Aeka staggered her words, "W-wait.. what? You've never? But... those men in the cave you spoke of..."  
  
"I'm sure they would have it they could. You know how that crucifixion thing works... vines and roots grow everywhere. I was stuck pretty tight, and they couldn't get down there. It didn't matter though, they got creative..."  
  
"That's understandable, but what about all that time with Kagato? Surely he must have... have..."  
  
With a plane face Ryoko said, "You're asking if he raped me? That's what we're talking about here, right? We both know the only reason I wouldn't be a virgin is if I was raped."  
  
Aeka raised her hand defensively. "I didn't mean it like that, I'm just not sure what to think. You never talk about that openly... and I respect you're need for privacy, only please don't take my assumption the wrong way."  
  
A moment later Ryoko said, "It's alright, I'm not mad. Actually, Kagato never did anything down there. He screwed everything else pretty good, but for some reason he didn't do that. I couldn't tell you why, that man was completely insane. I guess in that regard I'm extremely lucky... after Kagato and those men in the cave you'd really think I would have been raped, but I guess it didn't happen. When I think about all that's been done to me, having my virginity still feels like someone's playing a sick joke on me."  
  
"I-I see..."  
  
After a short pause, Ryoko said, "So anyway, that's why I'm kind of nervous about being with Tenchi. Even when I used to act like it was no big deal I was still nervous deep down."  
  
Aeka was about to respond but she stopped herself when she heard the door to the Onsen slide open. Sasami ran to Aeka and cried, "Aeka! Aeka, are you all right? Where did you go? I was so worried!"  
  
She was embarrassed about getting trapped in the cave, and she didn't want to make her sister worry more than she was. "Well, I uh... was... "  
  
Ryoko noticed this and supplied, "She was walking around the forest and sprained her ankle. I found her resting on the path."  
  
"Yes, that's what happened," added Aeka. "I'm fine, Sasami. There's no need to worry."  
  
"Oh, I'm so happy!" Sasami threw her arms around Aeka and hugged her tightly.  
  
They sudden heard Mihoshi's voice pop up behind them. "Oh my... is everyone taking a bath right now?"  
  
"Sort of..." said Ryoko.   
  
Mihoshi said, "I was going to take one too, but since everyone is here it'll be like a little party!"  
  
Aeka and Ryoko exchanged a private glance, which told one another that their private conversation was at an end. Mihoshi dipped into the water and Sasami followed shortly. The four relaxed in the steamy water and talked about nothing in particular.  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
When Tenchi arrived he was placed in a temporary cell until word came from Amagasaki about pressing charges. Several hours into his containment his father came to see him.  
  
Tenchi felt him approach, and without looking up he said, "I really screwed up."  
  
"You'll be fine. They told me Amagasaki's injuries weren't that bad, and he's already talking again."  
  
Tenchi was silent, still undecided if that was good or bad.  
  
"What was it, son? What happened?"  
  
Tenchi sighed. "He called Ryoko a whore more or less... well, he said that about everyone, but he really carried on about Ryoko. For an instant I wanted to kill him, and I really thought I was going to, but even before they pulled me away I knew I wouldn't have gone through with it."  
  
Nobuyuki straightened his glasses and said, "I have a feeling this is somehow related to why the police were at our home last week."  
  
Tenchi shrugged. "For some reason Amagaski got that idea about our home stuck in his head. All this time since high school he's been trying to compete with this idea of me. For all we know he may have been the one to start the rumor that lead the police to us."  
  
A moment later Nobuyuki said, "Of all the stupid things men do, that is the one thing I will never understand. When it is our duty to protect women, how does a man conceive the notion to send a woman out to dangerous places and have her make herself vulnerable to complete strangers? I've had the opportunity to meet guys like that and I usually never let them walk out of the room. I make sure they're carried away. I think you did the right thing son, no matter what anyone says."   
  
Tenchi tried to smile, "Thanks, that helps."  
  
"Katsuhito told me about how you reacted to first hearing the news. I have to say I didn't expect that from you. In my opinion if you meet a low life, then give him hell, but its sounding like you're more upset about people's accusations than anything else. There's no need to take other people's ignorance so personally, son. We all know you're not that kind of person."  
  
There was something about that on Tenchi's mind, but he couldn't say it. When he tried to speak, the words suddenly became blurred and he couldn't remember what they were. "Uh... yeah... I know dad."  
  
"You shouldn't worry about it too much, you're more level headed than I when I was your age."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Hesitantly, Nobuyuki said, "Let's just say that when it came to disposing of men that threatened you're mother... I've gone through with it. I'm glad you're not as dense as you're old man."  
  
"Dad! You actually--"  
  
Nobuyuki silenced him with a cold glare. "Careful, boy, or I might join you in there."  
  
"... What happened?"  
  
"We were only in high school, it was before you're mother and I eloped. Of course I was hers the moment I saw her back in our freshmen year, but she didn't notice me much. But there was one guy who noticed my liking her... a real asshole who also was interested in your mother. A lot of people didn't trust him... and when by our junior year you're mother made it clear to him she wanted me instead. The guy didn't take the rejection very well. The official story is that one of my friends told me that him and your mother were going hiking in the hills south of the school. They were pretty rocky, and there were a few steep cliffs. I was worried that they might need help, so I tried to see where they went. When I found them they had slipped and fell off a ledge. The other guy was dead when I got there... but you're mother was lucky... she only had a bruised eye and her clothes were slightly ripped."  
  
Tenchi saw the grim expression on his father's face and he said, "Dad... don't congratulate me... I probably would have done the same if someone did that to Ryoko."  
  
Nobuyuki was silent until he noticed that Tenchi had is sword with him. "Tenchi..." He nodded towards the hilt. "You don't plan on using that, do you?"  
  
"No, not at all. I was just thinking about some things..."  
  
"Thinking about what?"  
  
Tenchi forced himself to bring the subject out. "I was wondering... why do you think Ryoko stays here?"  
  
Nobuyuki fought down a laugh. "Tenchi... don't be stupid..."  
  
"I was looking at this thing, and I saw that it still has two of Ryoko's gems inside. It got me thinking about how her love for me was so sudden and so unexplained. You think she might be staying with me because she has no choice?"  
  
Nobuyuki said, "Not at all. It's easy to tell when someone is doing one thing and thinking something else. It would have been quite apparent if she despised you in secret, but that's certainly not the case. I don't think I've ever seen a person love someone as much as she loves you. But... if you're really worried then just ask her tomorrow. It's about time you told her how you felt anyway."  
  
After a short pause Tenchi said, "Yeah... I should probably do that..."  
  
"Did you ever consider just giving her the gems? It's not like we can't trust her..."  
  
Tenchi didn't answer; he only stared at the hilt. Nobuyuki said, "Son? What do you think about returning the gems?"  
  
Tenchi spoke slowly and softly. "I guess I can try that." After a long pause he said, "Dad... I'm sorry, but I've been lying... what I mean is, the way I'm making this sound isn't entirely honest. I've been aware of the gems inside the hilt the entire time. I... I'm so ashamed of myself... but I've purposely kept them there. After Kagato was gone there was no real reason for me to keep them, I only did it because I was afraid Ryoko would leave me." He lifted his head to look at his father, knowing there were tears in his eyes. "She loved me so much for no apparent reason. At times her love feels desperate, as if I held the key to her survival. Maybe she was afraid... maybe... that's the only reason why she loves me, because she's afraid of me.  
  
"When I fought with Kagato there was a moment where I was sure I was going to die. I know what it's like to be torn down to the most basic level of human thought, where all you can do is think about is survival. When you're at that level everything becomes secondary. You start to believe things about yourself you didn't think possible. It's how those bastards get women to prostitute themselves. They tear them down to where their very survival is threatened and they'll do anything to live. They'll believe that what they do is the only way to survive, and they'll be forever loyal. I know that's how they do it, because I've been doing something just like it to Ryoko.  
  
"She gave her love and body to me so easily that it didn't seem right, and she's so loyal that I'm frightened for her. She must be so afraid for her life she'll do anything to get me to love her, to guarantee her gems were eventually returned to her. What else am I supposed to think? She was trying to have sex with me within days after I met her. No one could make that kind of a decision so quickly without other factors being involved. Even after I realized this I still kept the gems. I'm sorry, dad, but those rumors are so close to being the truth they might as well be."  
  
As Tenchi lost composure Nobuyuki wanted to stand him up and hug him as a father should, but the cold bars between them held him back. Eventually he thought of something to say. "Are you saying you've been inconsiderate of her feelings?"  
  
"I haven't..."  
  
"Are you abusive towards her?"  
  
"Dad... of course not."  
  
"Have you been using her vulnerability towards you to you're advantage?"  
  
"... I've been working to keep that from happening."  
  
"Then I don't see the comparison. Considering the situation you've proven yourself to be more of a gentleman than any other man I've known, including myself. You have to remember what kind of life she's been given. She's very vulnerable right now, and she's going to do things that aren't in her own best interest. After four years you've respected her space even if she did not."  
  
"But... dad... I kept the gems. I can't excuse that."  
  
"Son... you said yourself that you were afraid that she would leave you. I know how terrible it is to have that fear, especially about someone you love. Speaking from one man to another, I would never hold something like that against you. This is all a reflection of how much you love her, you shouldn't be ashamed to have these fears."  
  
Tenchi dropped his head and shook it side to side. "I just don't know... I still think she's afraid of me."  
  
"What I think you should do is go to her and give her the gems back. If by some chance you're right, and she only loved you because she was afraid, be a gentlemen to the very end... Be happy that she now has control over her own life. I don't think that's the case, but either way... you must return the gems."  
  
Tenchi looked at his father's expression. He had seen it a thousand times throughout his entire life. It was the look Nobuyuki always had when he was giving him an order. Tenchi said, "I understand, dad. I made a mistake by keeping the gems."  
  
"It was a mistake, but one that came from a legitimate fear. No one is blaming you for it, but you still must correct it. In either case, you did put Ryoko in a difficult position. Had I known I would have talked to you sooner."  
  
Tenchi was about to respond, but he stopped himself as he heard footsteps approach.  
  
It was a police officer, and Tenchi recognized him as the Juraian that drove him to the station. He said, "There's a message from the hospital for you... "  
  
He handed it to Tenchi through the bars. The letter was hand written, and it said one simple line: "I won't be pressing charges, and I'm sorry for the mistake."  
  
Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief. "He's not pressing charges."  
  
Nobuyuki jumped to his feet. "That's wonderful!" He then turned to the officer and said, "Alright! There are no charges, let my son out of there!"  
  
The officer shook his head. "Sorry, sir, but even if there are no charges we have to hold him for the night for disturbing the peace. I can't do anything about it."  
  
"Dad, its okay. I don't think I'm ready to go back home anyway. I've got a lot of things to think about."  
  
"Are you sure, son?"  
  
"Yeah, if anyone asks, just tell them I stayed at my friend's place. I don't want to worry them."  
  
Hesitantly Nobuyuki nodded. "Alright. I'll be at work tomorrow morning, so you'll have to catch a bus home."  
  
"That's fine."  
  
Nobuyuki turned to leave, but he stopped and said, "I'm proud of you son."  
  
Tenchi didn't answer, and his father left with the officer in silence.  
  
*-----------------------------*  
  
  
  
Ryoko sat in a pile of carrot shaped pillows on the third floor of the Masaki household. Dinner was still a few hours away and she didn't have much to do. She considered seeing her mother to tell her about Yuko, but she found Washu's mind to be strangely distracted. Ryoko had come to learn that when her thoughts became bubbly like this she was thinking hard about something and preferred not to be disturbed.  
  
She decided to take a short nap while the sun was still up. As her eyes gradually shut, she felt as if she had done this before. It wasn't the fact that she was napping on the carrot pillows like the day before, it was something entirely different. She soon realized that the familiar feeling was in her mind. She vaguely remembered have this state of peace once before. After a moment of thought she recognized the feeling as the one she felt inside of Zero, the robot that merged with her almost two years ago.  
  
The several days after they became one, Ryoko despised Zero for being so open towards everyone. Even though they were in the same body, Ryoko tried to separate herself from Zero within her mind. Although she saw herself as one person, she could always tell when her inner thoughts were those of Zero or those of Ryoko.  
  
Suddenly, Ryoko found herself sleeping, despite how active her thoughts were. She gently cradled her dream, knowing the slightest disturbance would spill her consciousness into slumber. Her eyes that were closed now saw the room from a different perspective, standing at the top of the stairs. She saw herself sleeping, and walked over to sit close by.  
  
At first she was afraid she might awaken if she talked to herself, but since it were her dream with her rules, she decided that wouldn't going to happen. "Hello?"  
  
Ryoko saw herself open her eyes and look gaze silently. After a moment Ryoko asked, "Are you Zero?"  
  
She replied, "If you want me to be."  
  
Ryoko decided for that to be so.  
  
Zero sat more upright and asked, "Did you need something from me?"  
  
Questions flew though Ryoko's mind that she didn't know she had, and she spoke the first one that made sense to her. "How come you could be me better than I?"  
  
"Do you mean when I first cloned you?"  
  
"Yes. When I look at you're memory of those days, I know now you were acting how I really am. You didn't put up walls like how I used to. How did you do that? You copied my memory exactly, didn't you?"  
  
Zero looked to the ceiling as she thought of an answer. "I really hope what I say doesn't upset you. The reason I was able to forgive everyone that hurt me was because of the program that operated the robot I used to be. As a robot, my purpose was to be to assume identities for infiltration. My creator understood that some of the persons I may copy will have memories that could compromise my performance, and after several thousand years of research, he was able to create an algorithm that could instantaneously heal any psychological trauma while still keeping the host's personality and memory intact."  
  
Ryoko was unsure if she found that upsetting. "I never liked the idea of people simplifying my feelings..."  
  
Zero shook her head. "Oh no, Ryoko. They weren't simplified at all. I painstakingly calculated every single operation of the procedure the moment your DNA was accessed by my CPU. Healing your mind for me was just as painful as it will be for you. The only difference is that the operation was completed so quickly there were no signs of it ever occurring. They were... the most painful attoseconds of my life. That was the one flaw of my design... if you would call it a flaw. Whenever I assumed an identity, the steps I took to repair their mind would be saved into my permanent memory. This way my calculations would become more efficient over time. However, by remembering the procedures that I used to repair the hundreds of human minds I came in contact with, a small part of me became human, even as a robot."  
  
Ryoko slowly nodded. "... I guess I understand." A moment later she asked, "If we're the same person, wouldn't that apply for both of us? I felt more peaceful when we first merged, but it wasn't long before I forgot about you, and it was like we never merged at all."  
  
"If I were still a robot I would gladly run the operation a second time for you, but I am no longer a machine. I became a human, I should rather say... I became you. When we merged I with you I tried to show you that what happened wasn't you're fault, but you ignored me. Eventually I gave up, knowing you'll learn this for yourself on your own time." Zero smiled and added, "... Although I did give you an extra shove this morning."  
  
Ryoko's eyes narrowed. "You were the one said those things..."  
  
Zero shook her head, "We are the same person, Ryoko. You said it just as much as I said it. I added my wisdom to yours when we merged, and when Yuko asked those questions you grudgingly accepted my advice to be honest."  
  
Ryoko was silent for a long time. Eventually she said, "So... you're me."  
  
Zero laughed. "Yes! But you already knew that."  
  
"I know... what I meant is... you're what I'll become... maybe."  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "Well, you said you've healed all of your trauma, so I guess that means you're good as new."  
  
Zero tilted her head. "I suppose. You still must remember that we are the same person. Even now I can feel you in my mind, and your presence there is just as strong as mine. I'm sure you can feel me in your mind, can't you?"  
  
Ryoko slowly nodded. "Yeah, you're there."  
  
"So you already know what it will be like to be free of your fears."  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "I can imagine..."  
  
"That's not your imagination, that's me telling you what it will be like. I'm also telling you what you need to do in order to free yourself."  
  
Ryoko folded her arms tightly. "Yeah, I know. I have to tell someone what he did to me... but... that's so hard to do!"  
  
Zero nodded. "I know... trust me I know..."  
  
"I can't tell people that... what if it's too much for them? Not even Mom wants to know everything... you know how she starts crying every time she looks in my memories."  
  
Zero clutched her side. "I don't know. I think... I think that's different."  
  
Ryoko wasn't sure what to make of Zero's response. "You think...?"  
  
"I don't know everything! Do you? I only was able to move past Kagato and the cave because of my programming when I was still a robot. Everything since then is new to me and... well... I don't know."  
  
Ryoko paused and looked out the window. It was now night, even though the sun was up minutes before. "I must really be in a deep sleep for time to move so quickly..."  
  
Ryoko looked back to where Zero was sitting and found the space vacant. "Zero?" She stood to see if she went someplace nearby, but she couldn't be seen. "... Zero?"  
  
Ryoko found herself unable to breath, and the walls groaned as they shifted inward. They became so compact that her shoulders touched either side. She wanted to scream but she could not take in a breath to do so. In the excruciating silence, she heard foot steps approaching. She threw herself back but was somehow incapable of teleporting through these walls. The impact knocked her to the ground, and when she tried to stand her legs did not respond. The wall in front of her stretched back, creating a narrow hallway.  
  
The footsteps stopped, and the wall on the far end tilted open like a door. A cold gust hit Ryoko, and she realized that she was naked. Her mind screamed, Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up. A silhouette of a man in a cape appeared briefly in the doorway. Then as the door was closed he vanished in the absolute darkness.  
  
Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up...  
  
Aeka threw herself from her futon when a scream pierced the night. She sat upright and listened vigilantly, making sure it wasn't her imagination. Seconds later, she heard a door open and shut, and light footsteps ran up the first floor stairs. There were heavier foot steps nearly falling down the second floor stairs, and when they footsteps met Aeka heard, "Mama!"  
  
"It's okay... I've got you... shh... you're okay... you're okay..."  
  
Aeka quickly gathered what was going on. Ryoko had a nightmare and Washu came to her aid. She slowly and silently crept back into her futon, but she found it difficult to fall back to sleep. She could faintly hear Ryoko weeping several meters from her door. The last thing she could do was close her eyes and fall asleep.  
  
Aeka saw glimpses of her sister, Sasami, crawling towards her. She opened her covers and wrapped her arms around her sister. She felt Sasami's tears drop onto her neck and she heard her whisper, "It's my fault."  
  
Aeka couldn't imagine what she meant. There was no way she could be responsible for Ryoko's nightmare. She wanted to ask her sister why she felt so bad, but she didn't have the same courage to whisper in the near silence.  
  
Ryoko's weeping gradually faded, and there was a long moment where nothing could be heard. Aeka felt her eyes grow heavy. She almost fell back asleep, but a sound of crying began again, keeping her awake. After a moment of listening, Aeka thought this weeping sounded different than before. She then heard a voice she didn't expect. Ryoko said, "Mama... please don't cry."  
  
Sasami clutched Aeka tightly.  
  
"I-I'm sorry... I... I never knew... he did that to you..."  
  
There was a pause before Ryoko said, "It's okay. It didn't hurt... once I got used to it."  
  
Washu crying increased. "... my baby..... my baby...." 


	4. Third Day

Log recorded on Cycle 05.12.79.43

Author: Lady Washu. Lady Tokimi. Lady Tsunami.

Heading: History. Unlocked on Cycle 54.68.12.45

                Tenchi clumsily managed the front door of his house and stumbled inside. The ride home was long and his orientation was still fixed on the floor of the bus. He saw the clock read a time between breakfast and lunch, and realized that must have been why the house sounded empty. Enjoying the silence after a restless night, he made for his room on the third floor.

                Just as he reached his door he heard Ryoko's voice. "Tenchi?"

                He saw her standing at the top of the stares, the way he just came. "Oh! Uh... good morning, Ryoko." 

                "Where were you last night? You didn't come home..."

                He stepped away from the door and faced her. "... I just... lost track of time and stayed the night at a friend's."

                "Oh, okay."

                Tenchi walked up to her and embraced her, and she gasped with a blush. "Tenchi?"

                He kissed her and said, "I love you. I'm sorry for not saying so before."

                She blushed deeper shades of red. "Tenchi, I love you too."

                He smiled and kissed her again, this time holding it delicately. After a short moment he felt Ryoko push softly against his shoulder. He pulled away and said, "Ryoko?"

                "Someone might see..."

                Smiling he said, "Don't worry, the house is empty..."

                She lightly stepped back as he tried to kiss her again. "Tenchi, not right here..."

                He chuckled and said, "All right, if you insist." He then lifted her off the ground and cradled her in his arms, taking notice in how soft she felt. "You don't feel like you normally do, did you change something?"

                Ryoko rested her head on his shoulder and said, "My Mom borrowed all of my gems because she wanted to study them. I'm sorry, but you'll have to be extra careful with me for now."

                Tenchi kissed her forehead. "Don't apologize... it's my job to be careful." He carried her to his door and with a combination of his loose fingers and his foot, he slide the door open and walked through. 

                When he laid her onto his bed she became worried as to where this might lead. "Uh, Tenchi... I don't think we should do this so soon—"

                He kissed her and said, "I know, I just wanted to talk with you. I wanted to ask you something about you're gems."

                She sat up. "Oh."

                Tenchi sat on the side of the bed and pulled out his sword hilt. "I... have some things of yours that I want to return to you. I feel guilty for not returning these sooner, I should have returned them right after Kagato..."

                Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "The gems? It may sound strange, but I think you should keep them in the hilt."

                "Keep them here?"

                Ryoko shrugged. "I can make my own gems now, that's why my Mom took them for study. She says they're just as powerful as the ones in the hilt and the one you gave me four years ago."

                Tenchi nervously smiled. "Oh really? When could you do this?"

                "About a week ago."

                For the first time Tenchi realized how shy she's been acting towards him this morning. It seemed strange to him that she would blush at a kiss in the hallway when she's been so bold in the past. Tenchi thought, _she no longer depends on the gems in this hilt and now she's acting differently towards me._

                "Uh, may I give you the gems back anyway? I would really feel better if I did."

                Ryoko lightly shook her head. "My Mom.. er, uh Washu... well... uh... she wants you to keep them there."

                Tenchi examined her for a moment before asking, "Why does Washu want the gems kept here?"

                Ryoko blushed and looked away from Tenchi. "... if you promise not to tell anyone, I'll tell you."

                He nodded. "I promise."

                Ryoko spoke softer. "I can see my Mom's thoughts. She never told me directly, but I've noticed her thinking about a certain someone a lot. You see, my Mom has a crush on Yosho."

                Tenchi's face became perplexed. "Yosho- you mean my Grandfather? I don't understand... how is that related to the gems in this hilt?"

                "... they're preserving his life."

                Tenchi was dumbfounded. "... Does he know that they do?"

                "I would assume so."

                Tenchi stared at the floor for a long time in silence. He wanted to make up for what he did, but that was now impossible. At least, returning them now would no longer  hold the same significance it did just after Kagato's attack. "Then... I guess I'll simply let them be..." Tenchi said while setting the hilt on the dresser nearby. 

                When Tenchi spoke again, it was in a new tone. "Ryoko."

                "Yes?"

                He wanted to see if his fears were real or imaginary, but he couldn't find the right words. He didn't want to ask it directly, but he couldn't imagine how to lead into it with dialogue. Instead he asked, "Do you love me?"

                Ryoko paused at first, thinking it was a strange question. "Uh... yeah. I've loved you since we first met."

                It wasn't the answer he was looking for. "No, what I mean is... jeez, I don't know how to say it..."

                "What do you mean?"

                "I need to know if... if... no... that's not right..."

                Ryoko leaned forward and touched his shoulder. "Tenchi, what's wrong?"

                Hesitantly, he said, "Did the... gems... in the hilt... ever make you feel... uncomfortable?"

                She didn't understand his meaning right away. "Why do you ask that?" Remembering how he tried to return the gems just a moment ago, she plainly said, "Oh..."

                "Did that... ever bother you?"

                Ryoko wanted to be honest, but she knew it would give Tenchi a bad impression. She saw him staring at her as if his existence depended on her answer. She sighed deeply and said, "... A little... in the beginning..."

                Tenchi went pale. Ryoko quickly grabbed his shoulder and said, "It was only then, before Kagato came. I wanted to take the gems and run as far away from this galaxy as I could. The first thing I did after the crash was get Ryo-Ohki's baby and see if I could get the other two gems from you, but when that didn't work I started to get caught up in things. A lot of things were really confusing for me back then... so I don't really remember."

                Tenchi dropped his head. "Ryoko, I'm so sorry..."

                "Please, don't be sorry! Everything worked out in the end. I never wanted the gems, really. I don't want to blow stuff up, I only do because I can't help it sometimes. I just want to be a normal person with a normal life. So you shouldn't feel bad for keeping them... and... and I can make my own gems now. I'm fine, really."

                Tenchi looked at her intensely. "Ryoko... I only want you to be happy. I want you to be able to speak your mind without fear. I want everyone to recognize you and respect you. The thought that you might place yourself below others just so that they may feel empowered around you horrifies me. You have such a beautiful mind... _Please_ tell me that your love is not from my possession of the gems."

                Ryoko slowly wrapped her arms around Tenchi. He buried his head into her should and she sank back into the pillows. "Tenchi... I love you because of who you are, not because I was afraid. If I were only meeting you for the first time four years ago, I would have fallen in love with you anyways because of how kind you are."

                Tenchi lifted his head and Ryoko clasped her hand around his cheek. He leaned forward to kiss her, and she allowed it. She felt Tenchi's mouth gradually open and she instinctively tensed. She fought the urge to shy away, knowing that Tenchi would never hurt her. She relaxed again, tilted her head, and opened her mouth in return.

                As the kiss deepened Ryoko couldn't believe what she was doing. Only two days ago she imagined herself kissing Tenchi like this and anticipated it eagerly, but now it felt strange to be doing something so embarrassing with another person, even if it is Tenchi. She thought, _I've really changed a lot. _She smiled in the kiss as another thought added, _no that isn't right... I haven't changed at all. I remember this feeling from before. Before Kagato. This is who I really am._

                Tenchi pulled away with an exhausted gasp. "Ryoko... I would love to be with you more, but I'm very tired. I need some sleep."

                Ryoko said, "Oh, that's right. Is it alright if I stay here? I didn't much sleep last night either."

                Tenchi softly laughed. "I was going to ask if you would stay..." He then wrapped his arms around Ryoko and rolled so that they lay side by side.

                Ryoko clasped his cheek again and giggled. "It's funny..."

                "What is?"

                "Someone told me that something terrible was going to happen today, but I can't see how that's possible." 

                Tenchi was already drifting to sleep. "Nothing bad... will... happen..."

                For the first time in nearly five thousand years, Ryoko was happy.

                All at once, Sasami, Mihoshi, Washu, and Aeka entered the living room. Their hair was still damp from the recent bath, and their conversation still active.

                "I'm surprised at you, Aeka. I never imagined you to be the kind of person to tolerate that sort of treatment." Washu spoke up in astonishment.

                "Its not all that bad, Miss Washu. Even if marriages between royalty can be somewhat impersonal at times, we are still treated with respect," said Aeka.

                Mihoshi was the first to reach the couch, and switch on the television. She said, "I don't know... marring someone you don't like is one thing, but won't everyone want you to have kids? That would but gross."

                Washu nodded. "Yes, even if the unions are for the good of the society, there's a point when it goes too far and you could find yourself being used for politics."

                Aeka crossed her arms firmly. "Our Royal Family is hardly that dramatic. The council never plans elaborate schemes to satisfy their agenda! Besides, you must come to understand that everyone has a role to play. I understand I must undertake my destiny, whatever it may be."

                Washu smirked. "Even if your one of two wives?"

                "Even then..."

                "What about three?"

                "Uh... Y-yes, although it is very rare—"

                "Four?"

                Sasami was quietly listening, and she thought,

                *Sasami: I better change the subject before my sister gets mad...*

                "Hey everybody! It's almost time for lunch, don't you think?"

                Mihoshi cheered. "Yay! I was SOOO hungry."

                Washu smiled in amusement and decided to play along. "Sure, let me help you out..."

                Aeka quietly sighed and joined the crowd headed for the kitchen. With all four working together, a full meal was prepared in no time.

                As Sasami set out the dishes she asked, "Has anyone seen Tenchi? I don't remember seeing him come home."

                Aeka began to climb the stairs while saying, "I'll check his room, Sasami."

                "Okay!"

                Sasami finished placing the dishes and drinks. With the help of Washu she started bringing the food to the table. When she was on her second trip back to the kitchen, she saw Aeka descending the stairs alone.

                "So I guess he wasn't in his room..."

                Aeka spoke quietly. "Uh... he's there... He's just... sleeping right now."

                Sasami shined her cheerful smile and said, "Alright, I'll remember to save some for him." She headed for the kitchen but stopped herself before entering. "Oh yeah! Does anyone know where Ryoko is? I bet she'll want some too..."

                Aeka said, "She... is... uh... sleeping, as well."

                Sasami nodded. "Okay! I'll save some for both..."

From the kitchen, Washu heard the dialogue between Sasami and her sister. When stepping into the living room, she found Aeka sitting on the couch with her head lowered. Washu sensed that her daughter was napping with Tenchi, and knew that Aeka must have seen them. Silently she sat down next to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be okay, Aeka. It's not the end of the world."

                Immediately after hearing her, Aeka let a quiet sob escape. Washu wrapped her arm around her as far as she could, and pulled her head to lean on her shoulder. Aeka said, "I knew this two days ago, and I prepared myself for it. I have no reason to cry..."

                "Nonsense. There's no way you could prepare yourself for something like this. You have every reason to cry, and you should. Don't hold it back, just let it out."

                Mihoshi saw what was happening and she sat down on the other side of Aeka. "Oh Aeka!!! That's so sad!" She then squeezed Aeka in a giant hug.

                Aeka laughed through her tears and said, "Thank you Mihoshi."

                Another set of arms embraced Aeka, and she saw her sister in tears and leaning over her lap. "Aeka... I'm sorry. All of this is my fault... and I'm so sorry."

                "Sasami, what are you talking about? You didn't cause this to happen," said Aeka.

                Sasami shook her head. "I've done so many mean things to you, and Ryoko... and Washu too! I've been trying to make it up to you by doing so many chores. I know it isn't enough, but what else can I do?"

                Washu patted Sasami's head. "Sasami... that wasn't you. No one is blaming you."

                Aeka said, "I don't understand what's going on..."

                Washu leaned towards Aeka and quietly said, "She's trying to carry someone else's burdens."

                "Someone else? Who?" Just as Aeka asked she realized it could only be Tsunami. She softly added, "Oh..."

                Although Sasami was young, Washu knew that she was a smart girl. It perplexed her why Tsunami didn't show Sasami that they were indeed two separate beings. Her excuse that Sasami was too young to understand was not reason enough in Washu's mind.

                *Washu: Tsunami, just what in the hell are you trying to accomplish?*

                ...

                *Washu: Answer me!*

                ...

                *Washu: You're going to have to answer eventually. You can't stay silent forever.*

                Washu's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a new pair of voices emanate from the ceiling in the direction of Tenchi's room. Mihoshi said, "Hey... that sounds like Ryoko's and Tenchi's voices. I wonder what they're talking about."

                Washu saw Aeka fight down more tears. She quietly said, "I think we should go outside and get some fresh air. Does that sound good to you, Aeka?"

                She nodded just as a sob escaped her. Mihoshi and Washu pulled her to her feet and guided her to the front door while Sasami held it open.      

                Several moments earlier, Tenchi blinked himself awake. He lifted his head to read the clock and saw that less than a half hour had passed. He expected as much. Even if was tired, Tenchi was never able to sleep during the day.

                He looked at Ryoko lying beside him and sighed deeply. It astonished him that anyone could be as beautiful as her. He gently stroked her cheek while brushing aside several strands of her hair. Carefully, he rose from the bed and tip toed to his door. He heard voices come from downstairs and made sure to close the door.

                He laid back down next to Ryoko and held her cheek again. In the past he felt he was being too invasive by taking the initiative, but now he had no fears. He knew she loved him, and he loved her.

                His hand drifted down her neck and found its way to the zipper on the back of Ryoko's dress. He slowly brought it down, hoping the sound wouldn't wake her. He was surprised to feel a strap on her back, and he soon realized she was wearing a bra. He thought, _Ryoko never wears a bra. Weird..._

                Undeterred, Tenchi patiently worked the clip as subtle as he could. His hands traveled across her breasts as the clothing slipped down. He turned her onto her back and began kissing her cheek and neck.

                All at once, he heard a gasp, and Ryoko slid back to the head of the bed. She hissed, "Tenchi! What are you doing!?"

                Tenchi didn't know what to say. He could only stare as Ryoko struggled to cover herself. "I uh... well..."

                "I don't want to do that right now. Wait until later, can't you?"

                "Ryoko... I don't understand. Why the sudden change? Just last week you caught me in the bath and you tried to massage me with your breasts."

                Ryoko didn't know how to respond. The answer was so complicated she could scarcely understand it herself. "It's just... different now. Okay? I love you, Tenchi, but I'm not ready for this."

                "Ryoko, I'm so confused. Did I do something wrong?"

                She shook her head. "No, of course not. I'm just... not ready..." She started refastening her bra but Tenchi suddenly grabbed her arms.

                "Please... explain it to me! I mean... there's nothing you have to hide from me. I'll love you no matter what."

                A silence followed his words as Ryoko stared at Tenchi. With an injured tone she said, "Tenchi... I know you're confused... I'm going through a lot right now... try to understand."

                "... But... after everything you've tried to do with me, and then changing so suddenly like this, what do you want me to understand?"

                "I don't know."

                He let her go and she finished replacing her clothes. He said, "I'm sorry for going too fast, but could you stay with me a little longer?"

                Ryoko nervously folded her arms. "... I guess that's fine. As long as you don't try anything."

                Tenchi nodded. "I promise."

                An awkward moment passed where nothing occurred but silence. Hesitantly, Ryoko adjusted the pillows on Tenchi's bed upright, and gestured for Tenchi to sit beside her. With a sigh of relief, Tenchi inched across the bed and wrapped an arm around her, and she nuzzled her head into his neck. 

Without meaning to, Ryoko abruptly thought,_ Slut._

She thought back, _no I'm not._

_                He took off your clothes and touched you without you knowing. All he did was say he was sorry and you're ready to forgive him just like that. Slut._

_                He won't do it again. I trust him._

_                Of course he'll do it again, he's a man. Don't you feel his hand wrapping further around your body? Won't be long until his hand is on your chest._

_                We're just getting closer to each other._

_                Bullshit. He's going to try you again and you know it. You want him to, you slut. You want him to fuck you and make it hurt. You want him to fuck you like the bitch you are. You want him to talk dirty to you. You want him to call you a slut... a whore... a bitch... You'd get off on that, wouldn't you? You slut._

_                No! I don't want that! I'm none of those things! I don't think I'm a slut! I don't hate myself! I'm a good and likable person!_

_                You're pussy. Honestly, do you actually think someone would like you for you? That's ridiculous. What has Tenchi been trying to do the moment he said he loved you? He's been trying to get you in the sack. That's all you are to him, a good lay. You're only valuable when your legs are spread. Other than that you're a worthless bitch. Think about it... no one ever listens when you talk, everyone thinks your ideas are stupid, and you're always the butt end of every joke. You know why? That's because you never have anything worthwhile to say, your ideas  are as stupid as they come, and you're quite literally a walking punch line. It's impossible to not make fun of you._

_                That isn't true!_

_                Of course it is. What do you do around the house, anyway? Nothing. Not a damn thing. Not even you're fair share of the chores. Why in god's name would they keep you around any longer? You know why... You're a slut. You're good to look at and nothing else. You're a walking house decoration. You call that shit you ware clothes? You might as well just walk around naked, people would like you more._

_                ... No... no they wouldn't. They like me for me._

_                Do you feel that? His hand finally reached your breast. What are you going to do, slut? He's trying you again just like I said he would. What will you do? Are you going to slap him and run out of the room in a fit? That'll go over well. Once he finds out your not a slut he'll throw you out. Face it, you're worthless as anything but a fucking cunt._

_                I'm not worthless!_

_                You're right, you're not. You're a slut, now act like it. Take off your clothes and make him feel like a man. It's either that, or get thrown out. If that happens you know you'll just ending whoring somewhere else. At least here you have that stupid bitch you call you're mother._

Tenchi felt Ryoko shudder, and at that moment he suddenly realized where his hand was. They had gotten so close her lost track of his own limbs. Quickly he pulled his hand off her breast and said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to... it was an accident."

                Tenchi separated from Ryoko just enough to see tears in her eyes. "What's wrong? Was it what I did? I'm sorry..."

                "No it's not that. I... I'm giving myself a hard time. I've got this problem where I talk myself down a lot. Because like... well... my self esteem isn't that great right now." Ryoko shuddered again and whispered, "God, just saying it makes me feel horrible."

                Tenchi hugged her close. "Is there something you want to talk with me about?"

                "No... I don't really feel like telling anyone. I just... I need some time to figure things out."

                "I'll be here for you if ever you need something."

                Tenchi felt Ryoko hold her breath anxiously. She looked up to him and kissed him gently on the cheek. With a quivering voice she said, "Tenchi... I think I need some time alone... away from here."

                A long moment passed where Tenchi couldn't see, despite his eyes being wide open. He tightened his arms around her and stammered, "W-why?"

                Ryoko rested her head on his shoulder. "There are a few things that I need to figure out about myself before I can feel comfortable being around everyone."

                "I'll come with you."

                She shook her head in his collar. "No, Tenchi. It's important that you stay here. I need to spend some time away from you for a while. Ever since you released me from the cave four years ago I've been with you always. Please don't take this the wrong way... but... being with you so often makes it hard for me to feel good about myself." 

                "Ryoko... if I've done something wrong and just haven't realized it... please tell me."

                "You've done nothing wrong Tenchi. It isn't you... I know that sounds really bad... but it's the truth. It's not you. It's me."

                Tenchi's breathing became erratic. He quietly said, "Ryoko... don't leave me."

                She kissed his neck and hugged him back. "I'm not leaving for good. I'll be back, I just don't know when. I don't even know where I'll go."

                "But why do you have to be away from me? What did I do that makes you feel uncomfortable around me? Please, I want to help..."

                Ryoko kissed his cheek and met with his lips. He returned with his own desperate kisses. After pulling away from him she said, "Tenchi... I need to do this alone. I have to figure out who I am... because I honestly don't know who that is. There was brief, brief moment after Yosho defeated me and before I was sealed in the cave that has been my only memory of being free and being myself. I've been trying to live my life based on those few moments of freedom and I've realized that I've been living a lie."

                "Ryoko I don't understand. What happened that made you feel so bad to be with me?"

                She breathed deeply to suppress the urge to cry. "I'm sorry Tenchi but I can't tell you what it is specifically. Please... just let me leave without making things difficult, can you?"

                He suddenly threw his arms around her and held her tightly. He whimpered, "I can't do that..."

                "You'll just make this harder..."

                "I mean I can't let you leave."

                Ryoko bit her lower lip and hugged him back. "Tenchi, I have to leave, and I will... even if you don't want me to."

                She felt him shudder and he began crying. "Ryoko... please don't leave..."

                "Tenchi I won't leave for good. I still love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I need some time to myself. I'm not who you think I am... I want to be able to love you without any dishonesty."

                "But... what if you find out that I'm not the right person for you? I don't want you to change, Ryoko."

                "Tenchi, I won't change into a completely different person. That's impossible. I'll become more like my real self... the one who loves you no matter what."

                Tenchi's arms tightened to the point that it caused Ryoko slight discomfort. "But what if something happens to you? I won't be there to help you if you need it. I want you to stay exactly how you are. I... I don't want to risk you changing too much. What if you find out things that you didn't realize before? You say you love me now, but what if you find out some things that you don't like? I don't want to lose you."

                "Tenchi... I give you my word that when I come back I'll still love you."

                He began sobbing when he cried, "No! No, Ryoko! Don't leave me! Please... don't go away! I love you!"

                Ryoko had to separate herself from him before any progress could be made. She tried pulling out of his arms but he held her still. "Tenchi, let me go. I won't leave right away, I still have to figure out where I'll go and what I'll do... but right now you have to let me go. You're hurting me..."

                Incoherently he stammered, "Please don't leave... please don't..."

                "Tenchi, let me go! You're hurting me! I love you Tenchi, but you have to stop this!"

                Tenchi's mind began racing as he tried to think of some way to keep Ryoko from leaving, but he couldn't come up with anything more effective than what he was trying right now. His mind was in such a frenzy that he was unable to hear Ryoko yelling for him to release her.

                "You're hurting me, Tenchi!! Let me go!!"

                He squeezed tighter and she screamed. The sound was enough to bring his focus back into reality and his arms instantly released her. Ryoko stumbled to the edge of the bed where she struggled to return air to her lungs. Simultaneously, Ryoko's heavy breathing and Tenchi's weeping tapered at the same rate, and silence took the room. Ryoko slowly slide off the edge of the bed and said, "I'm... going now..."

                She only took two steps before she felt Tenchi grip her arm. "Ryoko... don't leave me. I'll anything to get you to stay. Anything. Please... just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

                "What you need to do is let me go."

                "No... no, no... please... Ryoko..."

                His thoughts disturbed him when they suddenly became elaborate. He no longer tried to think of a way to keep Ryoko here by convincing her to, but rather manipulate the circumstances to that Ryoko would be forced to stay.

                _Don't think like that. Don't be selfish._

_                You've done  it before, why not do it again?_

_                She said that the gems had nothing to do with why she stayed. She loves you, don't be afraid to give her some room._

_                What if it wasn't the truth? Think about how different she's been acting towards you. She said she no longer needed the gems in the hilt. How can that just be coincidence? Now she wants to leave you only a week after gaining her independence. If you let her go she won't come back._

_I don't know that! I refuse to suspect that everything she says is a lie! That isn't fair to her._

_Didn't she just say that she's been living a lie? Figure it out for once you idiot. The lie she's been living is you. She depended on you for her survival, and now that she's independent of you she's ashamed of how she acted. And who wouldn't be? That's why being with you makes her feel so terrible, because you're a constant reminder of how low she went to live._

_                I don't know that for sure! If I assume the wrong thing I'll cause more confusion!_

_                What's there to be confused about? You know damn well that she's not really the kind of girl who would flirt a lot. Don't think you've never noticed her look embarrassed for being naked in front of you. Even though she acts like it's no big deal you know better. You can see the shame in her eyes. Think about the way she sounds when she asks you to dominate her. She's in pain, because she would never want that sort of treatment if the circumstances were normal._

_                What was so wrong with the circumstances?_

_                Don't be a fool. You kept the gems knowing she would need them to survive. You kept them hoping that she would depend on you more. Admit it already. You prayed that she would try to use sex appeal to get on you're good side. Of all the times she's snuck into your bed at night, how many times did you pretend to sleep even after she started kissing you?_

_                It was harmless enough. As long as she thought I was asleep there was nothing wrong with letting her be with me._

_                Harmless? What about that one summer night where it was too hot to sleep with covers? She kissed you down there, and put her mouth over it. You didn't wake up and stop her. You just pretended to sleep. She must have realized you were faking, because there's no way anyone could stay sound asleep through something like that. You didn't even wake up to warn her about your climax. You laid there with your eyes closed and listened to her go downstairs and cry. You act like you never know what's going on so no one would suspect you. But in reality, you're a manipulative bastard and you know it. _

Tenchi hugged Ryoko from behind and kissed her neck. "Ryoko... I just know that if you leave, you'll come back as someone completely different, and you'll realize you no longer love me."

                Ryoko became angry at his lack of understanding. "Tenchi, you're not being fair! Give me a chance to prove it to you. Regardless of what you think, I'm going to leave and you aren't going to stop me. You're really upsetting me, but I still love you. If you really want to make things better, then let me go right now!"

                He shook his head next to hers and tried to kiss her cheek. She wanted to dodge his lips but his hold on her was too strong. She yelled, "Tenchi, you're really starting to piss me off! Let me go!"

                His calmness was unsettling, even to him. He allowed his mind to think of a way to keep Ryoko here, regardless of how it was done. As guilty as his thoughts were, he gave up on fighting them. They were too strong to suppress now, and the only thing left to do was let them take control. 

                At that moment, one of his hands that were exploring her body drifted across her belly and caressed it lovingly. He then had a thought that he wish never happened,

                *Tenchi: She would stay if she had a child.*

                Tenchi moved around Ryoko and pushed her gently back onto the bed. She yelled, "Stop it, Tenchi! I said I don't want to be with you like this! Let me go!"

                He covered her mouth with his hand and pushed down hard enough that she couldn't make a sound. He kissed around her ear and whispered, "Please forgive me."

                She struggled, but her weakness without the gems was made apparent when Tenchi held in place effortlessly. Punching him hurt her own fists more than it hurt Tenchi's face, and she soon gave up on that as well. All at once she felt Tenchi lift her dress and press his warm member against her stomach. Profound fear struck her as she realized he wasn't going to stop on her account.

                Tenchi made sure to turn his head to look away from Ryoko, because he didn't want to see what he was doing to her. As he broke into her whispered, "I'm sorry." The only answer he received was the sensation of tears trickle onto the hand that covered her mouth. 

                The pain he caused seemed magnified to Ryoko, simply because it was Tenchi who was causing it. Even though she was crying, in her mind she was laughing at herself. She was laughing at how she was trying to come up with arguments in his defense as to why he was doing this, and she began planning her explination to everyone that excused him of all fault.

                _This is just a mistake. A silly little mistake. It's no big deal..._

She wondered how her mother would react, and at the same time she made sure to quiet her thoughts as much as possible, so that Washu didn't come and investigate. Suppressing her connection with her mother had an opposite effect, since Washu suddenly became curious as to why her daughter was trying to keep her mind hidden from her. A moment passed before Ryoko heard,

                *Washu: You stupid girl.*

                *Ryoko: Please don't kill him.*

                Tenchi flew against the back wall of his room. After recovering from the shock, he looked up to see a woman in a black battle suit slashed with red. He instantly recognized who it was.

                A red blade came down upon him vertically, and he leapt to the side. Pain hurdled up his right leg as the blade severed the limb. Washu hissed, "You are going to die."

                Tenchi turned onto his back leaned up to see the sword held at his throat. He saw tears fall from Washu's eyes, he then looked to Ryoko lying motionless on his bed, and then down to the blood that covered his lap. He closed his eyes and said, "I wont stop you."

                Washu almost thrust her sword into his throat, but at the last moment Sasami tackled Tenchi, coming between him and Washu's blade. "Washu! Please don't kill him! Please!!"

                "Move."

                "Please! Washu don't! You know how much it hurts! Please don't take him from me!! Please!!"

                Washu's hand began to shake. She knew this was her sister talking, and not the little girl. "Why should I do for you something you have not done for me? First you take Mikamo from me, and then you sell my daughter to Kagato, and for what? So that you wont have to experience the pain you put me through?"

                Sasami forced words through her sobs. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Just don't kill him."

                For a moment Washu wanted to plunge her sword through the both of them, killing Tsunami's insidious puppet along with Tenchi. She frightened herself in realizing her loss of control, and quickly extinguished her sword. Without saying a word she walked to Tenchi's bed, picked up Ryoko, and vanished.

                Sasami lifted off of Tenchi to find that had passed out. She saw the severed limb and using the Goddess's powers, she regenerated it. She looked up to see Aeka and Mihoshi staring through the door in shock, and ran to them and closed the door behind her.

*--------------*

                Aeka and Mihoshi never saw the scene unfold. They arrived just moments after Washu left with Ryoko. From their perspective, when the four of them were in the yard, Washu cut herself off in mid sentence and abruptly vanished. Mihoshi, Aeka and Sasami all stood in awkward silence for a moment, then without a word Sasami ran into the house. It wasn't until Mihoshi and Aeka heard violent noises come from the house did they run inside as well.

                They saw Sasami regenerate Tenchi's severed leg, and knew that it must have been Tsunami's doing. After exiting Tenchi's room, Sasami made a force field around the door and refused to let anyone in for any reason. No matter how much Aeka and Mihoshi asked what was going on, Sasami kept silent. Aeka even tried forcing her way past Sasami's barrier just to better understand what was happening, but her sister's resistance was stronger than she expected. She could have put all of her energy into breaking through, but she remembered that Tenchi was passed out, and going into his room would have accomplished nothing until he woke up.

                She finally gave up and headed downstairs with Mihoshi. When they sat on the couch Mihoshi said, "Boy is this all so strange or what?"

                "Indeed. I think it's likely that Washu disappearing so suddenly has something to do with this."

                Mihoshi nodded, "Yeah, that makes sense since she had two gems on each wrist, and it would take a lot to cut through Tenchi."

                Aeka sat forward and looked down in thought. "She did? I didn't notice the gems..."

                "Of course, they were right on her wrists in plain view."

                "... Then, if that is so... why did Washu attack Tenchi?" Aeka stood with renewed enthusiasm. "We need to find out what's going on here! This is serious!"

                Mihoshi stood as well and imitated Aeka's movements. "Yeah!" A beeping sound was then heard and Mihoshi looked at her watch. "Oh no! I've got to go!"

                "Oh... well... goodbye Mihoshi."

                "Alright! Good luck finding out what happened!"

                Aeka waved and sat back down in defeat. She actually wasn't good at this sort of thing, and was hoping Mihoshi would figure it out for her. She was more used to finding out directly through brute force, not look for clues and piecing them together. Luckily for her, figuring out what was going on seemed as simple as finding Washu and asking her what happened.

                She started her search in the most obvious place, Washu's lab. After exploring as far as the third level she was convinced Washu wouldn't be found there. She checked every room in the house twice, and outside and circled the perimeter several times as well. She even climbed all the way up to the shrine to find only her brother Yosho sweeping the stone path. Finally her search brought her to the Onsen.

                She found Washu there holding Ryoko in her arms. For a moment Aeka remained unseen, and quietly watched them. Washu was cupping warm water into her hand and pouring it onto Ryoko's back, all while humming a gentle melody. Ryoko was turned away, and she didn't see Aeka enter. Washu glanced her way, and whispered something to Ryoko. Aeka saw Ryoko nod, and Washu said, "It's alright, Aeka. You can come in."

                When she drew closer, she noticed that Washu was larger than before. It was surprising to her, because Washu's adult form was something she's only seen once before. 

                She sat down near the edge of the bath and quietly asked, "Washu, what happened?"

                Washu stopped her melody and looked at Aeka sympathetically. She then went back to her tune. Aeka wanted to ask again, but there was a fragile serenity about the two of them together that she didn't want to disturb. After several moments she took off her shoes and dipped her feet into the water. She watched the shadows slowly drift across the floor, while occasionally looking to Ryoko for any signs as to what was happening. Several times she almost worked up the courage to ask again, but every time she saw the pained expression on Washu's face she was moved to silence again.

                Aeka was feeling her toes start to prune when Ryoko shifted in Washu's arms. Aeka now could see her face, which was exhausted and red from tears. Ryoko said, "Hi."

                Aeka offered a smile. "... Hi." A moment later she asked, "... What happened?"

                Ryoko drew in a sigh, and during the exhale she plainly said, "He raped me."

*-----------------*

                Mihoshi entered her ID and password at the Galaxy Police relay station near Jupiter. Moments later Nobeyama appeared on a view screen. However, he wasn't looking towards the screen. He appeared to be lost in thought.

                "Excuse me..." Mihoshi quietly voiced.

                "Oh! Mihoshi! I didn't see your transmission arrive..." He abruptly stood and said, "I have some information for you, Mihoshi."

                Mihoshi cried, "But I have some information for you too!! It's REALLY important... and it probably should be secret, too."

                Nobeyama had already begun setting up the covert mode for their meeting. The lights in his office dimmed, and his face was illuminated by his computer panel below him. "Actually, what I needed to tell you has to do with what we talked about last time."

                Mihoshi looked puzzled. "Huh? But we didn't talk about anything last time."

                Nobeyama paused before saying, "Mihoshi... we talked about the stuff I told you to forget we ever talked about."

                "... but..."

                "Just forget about forgetting it. I mean... remember it! That's an order."    

                Mihoshi slowly nodded and saluted. "Okay, sir. I forgot about forgetting about it."

                "What I have to tell you... is rather troubling, Mihoshi. My superior officer will not allow an exception to be made, not even for this. I need you to make an oral report of everything you mentioned in your journal. Also... he's expressed to me that you must be detailed. You cannot generalize anything... as I was hoping you would be able to do."

                Mihoshi was pale, despite her natural complexion. She starred with wide eyes at the floor in front of her. Softly she said, "But... I can't say it... it's horrible... it's so horrible. I hated writing it."

                Nobeyama sighed. "I'm sorry, Mihoshi. Honestly I am. I have no say in this at all."

Mihoshi sat down in the pilot's chair, with her eyes still fixed on the floor. There was a long silence as she searched for a way to begin the first sentence. It felt so impossible that she tried to talk other things to circumvent her responsibility. "Well uh... can I at least tell you about what I found out today?"

                Nobeyama shrugged. He knew she was only trying to buy time. He said, "Sure, what did you find out?"

                Mihoshi stood again and said, "A long time ago when you first gave that assignment to watch Miss Ryoko and Miss Washu, I put a little hearing thingy in every room. Well, something really weird happened today, so I went straight to my ship and listened to all the recordings to figure out what happened. The one hearing thingy in Tenchi's room picked up something very very bad."

                Nobeyama perked his attention. "What did you hear, Mihoshi?"

                "Well... Ryoko and Tenchi were in there... and they were talking a whole bunch. Ryoko was saying how she didn't want to go too fast, and Tenchi got all confused cause that's SO not like her. So Tenchi thought it was his fault, and like they have this little argument about it. They make up, but it doesn't stay fixed. What happens then is really confusing. It was quiet for a really long time, but then Ryoko started saying stuff about having to leave. And then Tenchi sounded really scared..."

                "Mihoshi, is there a way you can speed this up?"

                Stomping her foot, Mihoshi shouted, "NO! I have to say it all, because it's all important! Anyway, they started fighting again, but then it sounded like a physical struggle. Then it became really quiet, except for Tenchi who just kept saying he was sorry. He just kept saying it over and over again, but I couldn't really hear anything besides that. But, I think I know what happened."

                Mihoshi itched her cheek nervously and quietly said, "I think he did it to her... and she didn't want to."

                Nobeyama starred in silence. Mihoshi tried to divert her eyes away from his, since they made her so nervous. Eventually she sat back down and waited for him to recover.

                "Mihoshi... are you saying that he raped her?"

                Mihoshi slowly nodded. Nobeyama sat down in an attempt to digest the information.

                "Uh... Sir... there was a little more that happened, too. I heard Miss Washu come in out of nowhere. I'm pretty sure she fought Tenchi, and she must have won because she kept saying she was going to kill him. Then I heard Sasami jump in. She was pleading with Miss Washu to not kill him, and it worked. She left... and after that the recording was silent for good."

                Nobeyama was silent again. The transmission remained quiet until a beeping sound emanated from Nobeyama's end.

He pressed down a button on his console and said, "Yes?....................................................................... You would?.................................. are you sure it wont be a problem if she sees you?................................................ Uh... Yes Sir."

                Mihoshi asked, "Who were you talking to?"

                "My superior officer. He always listens to our meetings, and he would like to speak with you about this."

                A view screen appeared next to Nobeyama's. On it was an elderly man with dark skin and blonde hair. His eyes were a rich emerald green that seemed foreign to his other features. Mihoshi cheered, "It's my great grandpa!!"

                Mikumo smiled warmly. "Hi there, little Mihoshi. It's so good to finally talk to you again. I'm sorry about all the secrecy, but there's a few rules that even I must follow."

                "Oh that's fine. I don't mind at all."

                Mikumo said, "Wonderful. Now, I'd like to hear more about this little incident. When today did this happen?"

                "Uh... I think it was only a few hours ago."

                "You said before that Miss Washu stopped Tenchi in the act. Could you describe that more?"

                Mihoshi placed an index finger on her chin and said, "Well... when Sasami stopped her, she said a whole bunch of stuff to her, but it didn't make sense for her to say those things to Sasami. I think she was trying to talk to her sister Tsunami."

                Nobeyama suddenly said, "Uh Mihoshi... We uh... shouldn't really discuss the Goddesses... especially not about this..."

                Mikumo laughed. "It's alright Nobeyama, I know full well that Washu is a Goddess among Tsunami and Tokimi. I was observing Mihoshi's last report, after all."

                Humbled, Nobeyama said, "Oh.. yes of course..."

                "Now Mihoshi, could you play back the segment of the recording where Washu talked to Sasami?"

                Mihoshi nodded with delight. "Oh of course! On my way here I already split it into segments and categorized them!"

                There was a brief pause as the recording started to play. When it began, the contrast from silence to Washu's grieved voice was painfully sharp.

                "—hy should I do for you something you have not done for me? First you take Mikamo from me, and then you sell my daughter to Kagato, and for what? So that you wont have to experience the pain you put me through?"

_                "I'm sorry... I'm sor—"_

                A moment drew out where no one spoke. Nobeyama took notice to Mikumo's disturbed expression and said, "Sir, are you alright?"

                He didn't respond right away. Once he realized he had been addressed, he said, "Oh.. yes... I... I'll be fine."

                Nobeyama said, "Sir, how shall we handle this?"

                "Right now I cannot say exactly... but until then, I need you to travel to Jurai for me."

                Startled, Nobeyama cried, "Me? But why, Sir?"

                "I want you to settle in Jurai, of course you may bring your family if you wish. Become a trusted citizen there, and even see about receiving your own tree."

                "Sir, I'm not sure if I can even do that..."

                Mikumo smiled and said, "Not to worry. I'll arrange for you and your family to receive a new identity. For now, I want you to live out your life there as a normal citizen until I make contact with you again."

                "A-alright, Sir. I'll begin preparation today."

                With a forward tone, Mikumo said, "Actually, I would like you to begin this immediately. I'll finish receiving Mihoshi's report."

                Hesitantly, Nobeyama said, "Yes Sir..."

                After his screen vanished, Mikumo said, "Mihoshi, I have a new assignment for you."

                "What is it, great grandpa?"

                "I want you observe Tenchi and try to determine his character. I want to know what sort of person he is. See if you can find out exactly why he has done this to Ryoko. Also find out what he thinks of others, and even what he thinks of himself. I want to know everything there is to know about his personality."

                Mihoshi saluted and cheered, "Yes Sir! I'll start collecting information about him right away!"

                Mikumo smiled. "Thank you, Mihoshi. That will be all."

                "What? It will? You mean I wont have to say my report out loud?"

                He waved his hand in dismissal. "That won't be necessary. This new turn of events has changed the situation entirely."

                Mihoshi slowly nodded. "Well alright. I'll get started on this assignment right away!"

                "Thank you, Mihoshi. There's one more thing I would like you to do for me..."

                "What's that, Sir?"

                Mikumo paused before saying, "I want you to tell my Mother... that I'm sorry."

*-----------------*

                In Aeka's mind she saw an ocean of fire that disappeared into the horizon. The sight wasn't imaginary, but a memory of the Juraian city that surrounded the palace just after the attack. She remembered once hearing that at one point during the chaos, the entire surface of Jurai was engulfed in flames. When watching the planet burn the only thought that was in her mind was, _we were the strongest. _She thought it a thousand times over, but the fact remained that the strongest empire in the galaxy was brought to its knees by a single solitary warrior.

                What Ryoko said to her just now was no different than the oceans of fire that spanned in every direction. That was why Aeka was struck with such a vivid memory of the hellfire that consumed her home, because the feeling inside of her now was exactly the same.

                Ryoko started sobbing, and Washu cradled and kissed her. Aeka looked for the right moment to offer her comfort, but when Washu wept with her daughter she knew there was nothing she could do. Silently she went to her feet and exited the Onsen. She stood outside the entrance for a moment and listened to them cry. Again she saw oceans of fire in her mind, but this time she connected this feeling with a name. Tenchi Masaki.

                She ran back into the house and up the stairs. She pulled her sister to the side and snapped through her barrier.

She felt Sasami grasping desperately at her kimono. "Please don't kill him! Please!!"

"I'm not going to kill him! Let me go!"

                Sasami saw the picture of fury on Aeka's face and separated from her completely. Aeka threw open the door, found Tenchi sitting at the edge of his bed, and slapped him.

                "You bastard!" She slapped him again. "How is it possible for anyone to be so stupid?" She slapped him again. "I can't believe you!" She slapped him again. "Do you even realize what you've done?"

                "... Aeka..."

                "Shut up!" She slapped him again. "Honestly, of the thousands of ways you could have hurt her, you had to chose the one way she was the most insecure about. I hate you!!" She slapped him again. "To think that her virginity somehow survived Kagato just to be stolen by a stupid boy like you."

                Her right hand was becoming sore, so she slapped him with her left. "She loved you so much! Was your desire really so uncontrollable? Did she not tell you to stop? How could you do such a thing to someone that loves you?" She slapped him again.

                Suddenly, her shouting took a new tone. "And when exactly were you planning on telling me you didn't love me? Was that before or after I wasted four years of my life chasing you? Wasn't it obvious that I had feelings for you? Did you ever once think about how I might feel being stringed along? I ashamed that I used to think of you in such high regard.

                "What was it that set me apart from Ryoko, anyway? Was it the fact that I was never abused in my youth? Or that I'm not so fragile and dependent that the slightest gust of wind will make me snap? What do I need to do to be recognized by the men in this family? Do I have to go into town and get used a few times before anyone will care about me? Is that it, Tenchi? How come the men here only want women who are suffering?"

                Aeka finally lost composure and tears fell from her eyes. She dropped to her knees and cried, "I'm suffering too, damnit!"

                Tenchi carefully knelt down beside her and slowly wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Aeka. I really screwed up big time. I know I should have told you sooner, and no matter how much I think about it, I can't imagine why I never did."

                Long moments passed were Aeka wept into Tenchi's shoulder. As much as she hated him, she desperately needed his arms to hold her. When her tears slowed down enough, she said, "Over the last few days I've learned more about Ryoko than I thought possible. Did you know she's actually a lot different than the way she acts? She has been in conflict with herself the last four years because something was done to her that wasn't her fault."

                Tenchi quietly said, "Yeah... I already knew..."

                Aeka pulled away from Tenchi. "You knew? Since when?"

                "Since Kagato. I always had a feeling that she wasn't being herself... but when I kept the gems... I knew for sure."

                Aeka appeared more confused. "Gems? What are you talking about, Tenchi? I don't think the gems have anything to do with this."

                Tenchi stood and sat back down on his bed. "I don't know what she's told you, but I'm very sure that all of this is my fault somehow."

                "Tenchi, the reason Ryoko acts the way she does has nothing to do with the gems!"

                "What? No... that can't be right. Why else would she act like that?"

                Aeka wanted to tell him, if not for his sake, but for Ryoko's. She was beginning to see that Tenchi somehow found a reason to blame himself for something that wasn't his fault. If he knew the real reason behind Ryoko's conflict, future misunderstandings could be avoided.

                At the same time she didn't want to betray Ryoko. She swore that no matter what, she would keep everything to herself. Aeka didn't want to take the slightest risk with Ryoko's trust, especially now that her trust as fragile as ever.

                "I'm sorry Tenchi, but I swore that I wouldn't say anything. I think I've already said too much as it is. Ryoko will tell you when she's ready. At least trust me when I say that this has nothing to do with the gems."

                When Tenchi listened to his father brush aside his fears, he thought that he was simply trying to make him feel better, and he didn't pay him much mind. When he heard Ryoko deny that the gems had anything to do with why she stayed with Tenchi, he thought that she was telling him what he wanted to hear, and again he refused to believe it. Now Aeka is adding her voice to theirs, and although Tenchi was stubborn about the subject, he couldn't ignore the possibility of being mistaken. Truthfully, he would rather be wrong about the gems, despite being so sure that he was right.

                He faintly smiled and said, "Really? The gems didn't bother her?"

                "Yes. I don't know how you got the idea that they did."

                Tenchi sighed deeply. "That's so good to hear."

                Aeka rose to her feet and a silence dragged out the moment to an awkward length. She decided that leaving was the only thing to do. When she turned towards the door, Tenchi spoke up. "Aeka... please don't think that I don't love you because you aren't vulnerable like Ryoko. It's that I'm not the right person for you. I don't think I could make you happy, and I think you deserve better."

                Aeka without turning to face him, she sighed deeply walked out the door. 

*-----------------*

                From the Onsen, Washu watched Ryoko fly to the ground and enter the house. When they found an end to their tears, Ryoko whispered to her mother that she wanted to talk to Aeka about what happened. They dried themselves in silence, and her leaving was as simple as a kiss on the cheek.

                Washu waved her arm and a door manifested in front of her. It led back into her bedroom on a planet trillions of light-years away from Earth. Once inside she headed straight for her phone and dialed Yuko's office number.

                It rang twice before an elder woman answered, "Kobayashi Clinic, how may I help you?"

                "Hi mom."

                "Oh, hello Washu! It's so good to hear from you like this."

                Washu fidgeted the phone cord between her fingers. "Mom... I need you to change my realm."

                "Washu, we've been over this many times..."

                "I'm serious, this time. Tsunami or Tokimi could do this realm better than I am, I'm not the right person for this."

                Yuko sighed and said, "Washu... five hundred cycles ago you asked me to do this for you. I refused you, and in all of the cycles that followed them you were quite successful, and loved your realm unconditionally. Do you not see yourself making another recovery?"

                Washu started pacing about the room, stretching the phone cord as far as it would allow. "It's not like I don't think I'll be able to recover, its just that when I screw up, it causes my children extreme pain. I know I'm not perfect, and I'm probably going to screw up again... and another one of my kids is going to have a life that is unsuitable even for hell."

                "Washu, you know there's no such place"

                "Whatever mom, you know what I meant." Washu mentally laughed at herself. She remembered telling Ryoko the same thing when she mentioned hell. "Look, because my realm is what it is, I know that whenever I screw up I give someone a life of suffering. The only way I can think of preventing is to just stop studying this realm."

                "Washu, what will you study then? The other realms will seem too easy, and you'll become bored with them. If I let that happen, you'll never truly become a master of your realm. I don't want to lose you, honey. I love you too much for that."

                The textbook reference flashed through Washu's mind like a habitual reflex. 'If a Goddess is unable to master her realm, she will no longer be a Goddess'. It wasn't a punishment or demotion, it was simple fact. A Goddess is a being who is a master of her realm, if she became anything less, then she quite simply is not a Goddess.

                "I don't know, mom, I just know I can't do this realm."

                "Why do you feel this way all of a sudden? You seemed fine about it yesterday."

                Washu sighed in irritation. "C'mon mom, you know what I did. I conspired to have my own daughter raped. What kind of mother is that? I don't care the reason for it, what I did was pure cruelty. I personally pushed Tenchi's mind in the direction that would rape her." A sob cut between her words. "I should have just mounted her myself!"

                Yuko hushed her through the receiver and said, "There-there, Washu... don't cry. Things aren't as terrible as you're making them out to be."

                Washu sunk to the floor while pushing against the wall. She held the receiver away from her mouth so that her crying wouldn't be too loud over the phone. At the same time Yuko continued to offer her comfort. "Washu, you're not a terrible mother. You love her more than anyone else, even more than you love me. How you're feeling now should be proof enough that you care deeply for her well being."

                "Mom... I raped her! How can you say I care about her well being?"

                "Washu, you know what would have happened if you hadn't arranged things the way they are now."

                Washu tried suppressing her weeping, but it burst out as random sobs. "I don't even care if she becomes a Goddess anymore. I'd rather see her die as a mortal and have a full and happy life."

                "It would be neither full or happy. If what happened today never transpired, she would never achieve her greatest potential, and you would never forgive yourself for letting that happen. Her life would be short, and she would appear to be happy to everyone around her. On the Inside she would despise herself. You're sentient awareness would never learn of her pain, but your deity awareness would. You would have to watch her live life in constant depression, while being unable to offer her any support."

                Washu's crying had dwindled to a stop, and all that was left was the sniffling of her runny nose. "I know that, but still... I did it... it was me... I raped her."

                "A mother bird will push her chicks out of the nest to teach them to fly. If they are not able to fly before reaching the ground, their life will be ended prematurely. It may seem like a cruel treatment, but it would be even crueler if she fated them to remain in the nest until they starved. You've given Ryoko her push, it is now up to her to learn to fly."

                Washu didn't respond.

                Yuko said, "I think what is really bothering you is that during this time you cannot directly help her. This is her free fall, and not yours. She must conquer this without you. There is no other way."

                "... Well... what am I supposed to tell her when she asked why I did it? She'll figure it out soon enough."

                Yuko laughed. "You'll tell her what you always tell her. The truth." Washu was about to respond, but Yuko suddenly said, "Oops, someone just walked in. We'll have to pick this up later on, alright?"

                "Uh... okay..."

                "I love you, my little Goddess of Maternity."

                Washu sighed. "Don't call me that. I don't deserve it."

                "Alright Ms. Grouchy Pants, I'll talk to you later."

                "... Bye..."

                Washu held the phone to her ear well after she heard her mother hang up. She didn't return the phone to its base, she was too tired to rise to her feet. Setting the phone on the floor, she began thinking about how she would tell Ryoko.

                Washu debated with herself on whether or not to tell Yosho about what just happened. Telling him seemed so difficult in her mind, but not telling him felt like the wrong choice. Before she went to see him, she made sure with Ryoko if it was alright with her. In her mind Washu heard a response that could only be interpreted as a mental shrug. She then started on her way to the Masaki shrine.

                The conversation leading into it was casual and friendly. When she told him, he simply said, "I see," and stared out the window indefinitely. Several minutes passed before Washu left without a word.

                Yosho didn't get much time to himself. The phone in his office rang, and the ringer did not sound like his normal phone. He was receiving and interstellar phone call. With a sigh he went to his desk and answered it. A holographic screen appeared before him to display the image of his father, the King of Jurai.

                Yosho didn't greet him at first. He eventually stuttered, "F-father... I didn't expect you to make contact with me today."

                "I've only done so to tell you that Funaho, Misaki, and I are on our way to Earth. We're going to take Aeka and Sasami home... and perhaps several others."

                Yosho's brows furrowed. "What? Why have you decided this so suddenly?"

                A troubled expression appeared on Azusa's face. "It is difficult to explain. If you wish to truly understand, then return home with us to see for yourself."

                Yosho sighed. It sounded like he was trying to create incentive to get Yosho to return to Jurai. "Father, I have not changed my mind."

                "Do as you wish. I will be taking Aeka and Sasami home... and perhaps Ryoko."

                "Ryoko?! Why her?"

                Azusa visibly strained to contain himself. "I will not repeat myself. You are welcome to return home with us, if you truly desire to understand."

                "Why can't this be explained to me now?"

                Azusa continued as if Yosho never spoke. "I'll be arriving tomorrow, and we will leave the same day."

                The screen vanished before Yosho could speak another word.


	5. Fourth Day

Log recordLog Recorded on Cycle 05.12.79.43

Author: Lady Washu. Lady Tokimi. Lady Tsunami.

Heading: History. Unlocked on Cycle 54.68.12.45

When Sasami rose from bed that morning, she was surprised to see that her sister was already up and combing her hair. The last thing Sasami remembered before falling asleep was seeing Ryoko talking quietly with Aeka in the corner.

Sasami rubbed her eyes and yawned, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Sasami," Aeka sighed.

Sasami started searching for something to wear. "You're not too tired are you? How late did you stay up talking?"

Aeka was lost in her own thoughts, and she didn't respond right away. "Oh... not long after you went to sleep."

Sasami rolled up her floor futon, and saw that there were two others besides her own. "Did she sleep in here last night?"

Aeka nodded. "She said she didn't want to be alone, and she didn't feel like going to Washu. She didn't tell me why."

Sasami went to Aeka and knelt to hug her tightly. "I'm sorry, Aeka..."

Aeka hugged her back. "Sasami, you really don't have to carry Tsunami's burdens... I don't think she would want you too, anyway."

"It's not that. I'm just sorry... for you. You look so tired, are you sure you slept well?"

Aeka sighed again. "I'll be alright."

Sasami heard the fatigue in her sigh and said, "You don't sound alright to me. Why don't you get some extra sleep today? Don't worry about the chores; they're usually not a problem anyway."

The mere suggestion of going back to bed made Aeka too tired to protest. She gently nodded and said, "Well... okay... I suppose I could use some more rest."

Sasami hugged her tightly and helped tuck her into her futon. She then kissed her sister on the cheek and quietly left the room. Sasami went to the third floor and lightly tapped on Tenchi's door. When no response came, she slowly opened the door and peeked inside. When she saw enough of his room to conclude that he wasn't there, she said, "That's odd."

Downstairs she found Katsuhito sitting on the living room couch. "Oh! Brother Yosho. What are you doing up so early?"

He went to his feet. "There is some news... that is rather sudden. Is Aeka awake yet?"

"Actually, she went back to sleep because she was too tired."

"Hmm... Do you know if Tenchi is awake?"

Sasami shook her head. "I don't know where he is. He's not in his room."

He shook his head and said, "That isn't good."

"What's going on, brother?"

"Washu has made herself inaccessible in her lab, I haven't seen either Nobuyuki or Mihoshi since yesterday morning, and it seems Ryoko doesn't wish to be found right now."

"That's all strange... but it's happened before. Why are you so worried?"

Katsuhito walked to Sasami and knelt in front of her. "Sasami... Father is coming today, and he's going to take you and Aeka home. When he told me, it was clear that it was his _final _decision."

Sasami was quiet. After a long moment of staring at her brother's serious gaze, she turned around and slowly climbed the stairs.

"Sasami, will you be okay?"

"Yes... I'm just going to... go back to bed..."

Katsuhito watched her disappear into her room. He was the only person in their home who wasn't asleep or locked away. With the King of Jurai coming to take Aeka and Sasami away, he did not want the other family members to find out upon his arrival. He decided to begin his search for Ryoko anew, so that he at least felt like he was doing something.

Tenchi left his home in the middle of the night. He walked the streets of the nearby town aimlessly. He noted seeing the same street a hundred times, yet he didn't care if he was simply going in circles. He didn't want to stop walking, because if he stopped he would start thinking, and the reason he left his house in the first place was to escape his own thoughts. All he wanted to do right now was walk.

Several hours after the street lamps shut off, he found himself passing by the local hospital for the twentieth time, and he thought it might be a good idea to see Amagasaki.

At the front desk he received directions to Amagasaki's room. When Tenchi arrived at the door, he gave a long pause before entering. Inside he saw his friend's expression of shock.

Tenchi pulled up a nearby chair and sat next to his bed. "I'm so sorry I hurt you like that. I overreacted."

Amagasaki's voice sounded forced. "You're sorry? I'm the one that screwed up, and you're apologizing?"

Tenchi shrugged. "No matter what you did, I shouldn't have choked you like that. I almost killed you."

Amagasaki was silent again.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, and don't feel bad for what you did. You're a much better man than I am."

Amagasaki coughed and said, "What are you talking about? The things I said... about you... and those girls that live with you. I feel like the worse person alive."

Tenchi had a sad smile on his face. "No, Amagasaki. You're a good man. You can always take back words. As for the things you did... you can still fix them, right? You can call those girls up and tell them things wouldn't work out, can't you?"

He nodded. "The first thing I did when I could talk again was call all of the girls that I've been involved with." He then gestured to the phone next to his bed. "A lot of them seemed okay about it. They sort of knew it was all a game. There were a few who were really hurt. I guess they truly loved me. I'm such an asshole."

Tenchi shook his head. "No, you're not. They may have their feelings hurt today, but at least no harm came to them. You were able to stop it before things became damaging."

"I'm thankful for that. I can't believe what I was thinking. I was so sure that I was right about you. I'm such an idiot."

Tenchi again gave a sad smile. "You were right, in a way. I'm not the nice guy that I show to everyone. I don't know what I am, but I'm not as good of a man as you."

"Tenchi, you've got to be joking. You haven't done what I've done. You've never said such awful things about a woman like I have."

Tenchi dropped his head and stared at the floor. "Trust me, Amagasaki, I've done worse. The reason I overreacted so much to what you said, was not because I was angry with you, but because I was angry with myself. Sometimes I have thoughts similar to what you said two days ago. The women who live with me... they're such magnificent people, and sometimes I can't suppress the thoughts I have about them.

"All I can do to combat these thoughts is act like a gentlemen to everyone around me. I act shy, and appear to be clueless about everything, but that's a lie. I know damn well what's going on. I know how those girls feel about me, I'm not that stupid. I can never bring myself to approach one because of my thoughts. My thoughts disturb me. I imagine so many terrible things about them. The only way to keep those thoughts to myself is to not say anything at all, and hope they assume I'm a nice guy."

Amagasaki was quiet for a long time. He eventually said, "Did you... do something, Tenchi?"

"Yesterday..."

Amagasaki quietly asked, "What did you do?"

Tenchi lifted his head from the ground to look at his friend. There were tears in his eyes. Before Tenchi could say anything, there was a knocking sound that came from the open door. They both looked to see Tenchi's father, Nobuyuki standing in the frame with concern.

"Dad!"

"Mr. Masaki!"

Nobuyuki moved his focus to Amagasaki while his son worked to dry his eyes. "Are you feeling well, Amagasaki?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay now."

"That's good to hear." He stood next to Tenchi and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "We should be heading home now, Tenchi. I'm sure Amagasaki needs his rest."

Tenchi nodded and stood. He waved and said, "Seeya later, Amagasaki."

"Later, Tenchi." As Tenchi walked from the room, Amagasaki was struck with a gut wrenching feeling that he was never going to see his friend again.

Tenchi exited the room first followed by Nobuyuki. To his surprise, Mihoshi was waiting in the hall. "Mihoshi? What are you doing here?"

Behind him he heard his father speak. "Last night while I was on my way home from work she stopped me and told me a few things. I didn't come home last night because I needed time to think about what she said. She also helped me find you here."

Mihoshi gave a slight wave. "Uh... Hi, Tenchi."

Tenchi nodded in response.

She said, "Well, I have some more stuff to do. You know... Police stuff. So I'll see you later, Tenchi."

"Bye, Mihoshi."

Nobuyuki waved as she left. He then turned to his son and said, "Tenchi, let's go home."

Silently he followed his father out of the hospital.

--------------------------------

Yosho was meditating in his office in the shrine. He was trying to detect Ryoko's presence by sensing her gems, but for some reason he could not locate the gems on this plane of existence. Knowing that searching for her in the traditional sense was futile, he had spent the last few hours trying many different psychic methods of searching that he knew of. However, he had no idea that Ryoko was so capable of masking her presence.

There was one last method he could try. A long time ago when he was still a student on Jurai, he learned an old lesson that was taught to everyone who attended a Juraian school. The lesson explains that Tsunami communicates her will to her people on a higher level of psychic thought. This way her thoughts can reach any individual at any time no matter where they are, or even which plane of existence they are currently present.

During an exercise Yosho attempted to communicate on this level, and was partially successful. It only lasted for a few seconds and all of his energy was spent during the process, but he knew he could do it.

He slowly began building up his energy. The amount of power required was immense, and if he acted to quickly he would lose control and have to start over again. It took close to a half hour to finally achieve the mental discipline to broadcast his thoughts on this higher level of psychic communication.

Carefully, he thought,

Yosho: Ryoko.

Ryoko: I don't want to talk to you.

Yosho was startled to hear her respond, and as quickly as she did.

Yosho: Ryoko, I must speak with you.

Ryoko: Go away.

Already his mental stamina was being pushed to its limits. He could only send one more thought before he would be forced to stop.

Yosho: Ryoko, Aeka and Sasami will be leaving Earth later today.

Ryoko: What!?

Yosho tried to respond, but he couldn't. His mind would not allow it. Strangely enough, he continued to hear Ryoko's thoughts in his mind.

Ryoko: What do you mean they'll be leaving Earth? Answer me!

Ryoko: Why won't you respond? If this is just a trick to get me to come out I'm going to kill you.

A moment later the sliding door to his office was thrown open and Ryoko marched in. "Explain yourself! Where are they going?"

Yosho had actually become winded from communicating with Ryoko on such a level. He couldn't respond right away. When Ryoko noticed his exhaustion she said with a softer tone, "Hey, are you okay?"

He breathed deeply and held up a hand. "I'll be fine. I had no idea you could communicate psychically like that with such ease. It was very difficult for me, and I did not respond to you simply because I couldn't."

Ryoko didn't know how to respond. She didn't think her mental abilities were any more than what any being could do, given the correct training. "It was hard for you?"

"Yes. Normally that sort of telepathy is reserved for the Goddesses."

Ryoko was silent for a moment, and then said, "... Just forget it. Why are Aeka and Sasami leaving? Where are they going?"

"Ryoko, please take a seat."

She sighed and did so.

"Yesterday I received a message from my father saying that he would come today and take Aeka and Sasami home. It was apparent that no amount of protest would budge his decision."

"Why?" Ryoko snapped.  
"He did not say. He also said he expected that you might come as well. I'm not sure why he thought this, and I was hoping you would know something about it."

Ryoko looked confused. "Me? I have no idea why he thinks I would go."

Yosho thought for a moment and then said, "This is very strange. My father and I may have disagreed in the past, but it is unlike him to keep things from me." Yosho was going to say more, but he didn't bother. He could tell Ryoko was no longer listening to him. She appeared frustrated, and lost in thought.

Ryoko's normal defense mechanism would be to get angry and accusing. Instead she felt helpless and weak. She pulled her knees in and buried her eyes there. "God damnit! Why does this have to happen now?"

Yosho watched as Ryoko squeezed into a tight ball. She barely made a sound, and periodically she would shake. He knew she must be crying. "Ryoko?"

She didn't answer. Instead she brought up one hand and gave him the finger.

He couldn't help to be amused. He wanted to help her, but the only chance he had would be to approach her as the man she used to know. Transforming into his younger self, he moved to kneel next to Ryoko. With his youthful voice, he said, "Ryoko, please let me help."

She recognized the difference instantly. She sat up right and quickly tried to push him away, but she only ended up pushing herself backwards. "Damnit! I'm so pathetic..."

Yosho shook his head. "You're not pathetic, Ryoko. Please... tell me what's wrong. What happened to your strength?"

She sighed and wiped her tears away. "I don't have my gems, and I can't make replacements. Don't ask why, I don't feel like explaining it."

Yosho gave a slight nod. He then said, "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Ryoko sulked, "How can you even ask that? You bastard..."

Yosho slid closer to her and place a hand softly on her shoulder. She quickly snapped, "Don't touch me!"

"Ryoko, your mother told me what happened."

She gave a cynical laugh and said, "My _mother._ What a funny way to describe her."

His hand left her shoulder and he was silent again. She had her back to him and continued to silently weep. The part that confused Yosho the most was why she was still here. He expected her to leave at any moment, but instead she remained. Yosho thought, _perhaps she does want to talk._

"Ryoko, I want to make you feel better, but you have to tell me what you're thinking. I don't want to start guessing."

Ryoko lifted her head and glanced behind her. When she saw him, she was taken back seven hundred years to the day they first met. She remembered sitting on the ground silently crying, then feeling a hand brush her shoulder. The image she saw then was not unlike the one she saw now.

Her eyes dodged him, and she tried to fix them on a neutral object. She became very quiet, and her expression was troubled, as if trying to decide on something. She gave one more glance to Yosho, and abruptly moved to hug him.

Yosho was too startled to react right away. Softly Ryoko said, "You owe me. Now hold me, damnit." Yosho smiled and slowly returned the hug. They shifted until Ryoko was sitting comfortably in front of him with her head rested on his chest.

"Yosho I have to tell you something. I'm only telling you because I'm too tired to keep it to myself. I just want to say it out loud, to hear it for myself, because I can scarcely believe it. Washu is a Goddess, like Tsunami. I'm supposed to become one too, eventually. I only found out four days ago, and I was really pissed when I did. I was angry because my _mother_ knew everything. She knew that Kagato was going to kidnap us and use us. She knew it all. Eventually she convinced me that she couldn't help it, or some other bullshit like that. But what she did this time... this is too much.

"She designs fate. Whatever happens happens because of her or the other Goddesses. This whole thing with Tenchi was her scheme. It wasn't Tsunami's... oh no... She was trying to stop it. What Tenchi did to me was orchestrated by someone I trusted the most."

Yosho quietly absorbed the shock of this information.

"You know what the worse part is? Right after it happened she took me to the bath helped me wash. She held me, and cradled me, and dried my tears. When I couldn't cry any longer she started humming a song for me... and rubbed my back with warm water."

A sob escaped her and she clutched Yosho to stable herself. "Somehow she was able to put me at peace. Even after what happened I felt like everything was going to work out. How could this woman have such a pacifying effect on me? How could she make me feel so loved even after what happened? ... I was in awe. In that moment she truly was a Goddess. And at the same time... she was the one who caused me to be raped in the first place."

Yosho held her head as she wept. "Ryoko, I don't understand. If she truly loves you this much, how could she have planned something like that?"

"... I don't know.... I don't know! I know she loves me, but why did she do that? I want to be able to trust her! I want to be able to go to her about anything. I want my mom!"

Yosho saw movement in the corner of his vision. He turned to see Washu sitting on the floor several feet away. He was shaken by her presence, not simply because it was unexpected, but because it was an image of Washu's adult form. The first time he saw her was over ten thousand years ago, when he was no older than Ryoko. Seeing her again like this gave him deep sense of youth.

There was great hesitation in Washu's voice. She was still unsure of going to Ryoko so soon. Eventually she was able to cry, "R-Ryoko!"

Ryoko instantly jumped from Yosho's arms to Washu's. "Mom! Mom, why did you do it? Why?! I want to be able to trust you!"

Washu took a moment to hold her daughter. The night before when Ryoko did not come to sleep in her bed, she thought that she might have lost her daughter forever. The pause was too much for Ryoko, and she cried out, "Mom! Please say something! I love you! You love me, right?!"

Washu hushed her and kissed her gently. "I love you, Ryoko. I want to explain this to you, but I need you to calm down."

Ryoko nodded. She kissed her mother back and worked to try her eyes.

Yosho awkwardly cut in. "Would you like.. some privacy?"

Washu tried to smile. "Is it alright if you would?"

He gladly obliged and exited his own office. A few moments later Ryoko said, "Mom, you're still... big."

"I can't think of going back to my smaller body, not after what I saw. I've been taking care of you more than usual as of late. I don't want to be perceived as a child, because I don't feel like one. I was thinking of making the change, but didn't make up my mind yet. When I saw him hunched over you like that... my reaction was in no way childish. I know what 'little Washu' would have done in that situation, and it would not have justified my revulsion. I could not take the form of a child any longer."

Ryoko quietly asked, "What would the 'little' you have done?"

"Something similar to what I did when Clay took you. Show up late on purpose, crack a joke, and _then _pull Tenchi off of you."

"... So... are you going to stay big like this?"

Ryoko felt her nod, and she then kissed her.

"You know, right after you left the bath, I went to my room and cried. I felt entirely responsible for what happened... I was disgusted with myself. After I caused you so much pain, it was so difficult too look at the things from the correct perspective. I ended up having to talk to _my _mom about it."

"You're mom?" asked Ryoko.

"Yes. I may be a Goddess, but I did not create this universe or the people who live here. It was my Mother who did that. To many people she seems like the master of all that is... but to me.. she's my mom. When I was talking to her yesterday, she helped me realize something I already knew. I did not do this to secretly conspire against you. The reason is actually much simpler than the mess itself. Please believe me when I say I felt just as much pain as you when it happened."

"Mom, if this hurt you just as much as it hurt me, then why did you do it? Why did you create this?"

Washu ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "One of the most vivid memories of my childhood... my true childhood... was when I was only five years old. My mother hadn't yet created human life, and she and I were the only living beings... period. Our home was not elaborate, in fact it even exists on this physical plane to this day. It's a planet covered with water, except for a single island barely larger than a hundred square meters. At every point across the surface, the water was always four feet deep."

Ryoko asked skeptically, "Always four feet?"

"Always. Trust me, I checked."

"Why four feet?"

"She thought anything deeper would be dangerous for children to be around."

Ryoko couldn't help but to giggle a little. "Oh... that's kind of funny."

"She can be punctual like that. One day when I was playing outside, she called me in for lunch. I ran a little too fast, and I tripped and skinned my knees. It was the first time I ever felt pain. I was horrified. I asked her why she created pain, and she said it was so that we would be able to recognize when something bad is happening to us.

"Then I asked, 'Why can't you just tell me with words? Wouldn't that be easier?' She said it would actually be much harder, because pain communicates much faster and clearer than words. The same holds true for pleasure. She asked me, 'Which would you rather I do, tell you I love you, or hold you in my arms every night until you fall asleep?' Of course I said how I would rather she held me at night.

"However, I still felt betrayed by her. She never mentioned anything about pain before. I had no idea it existed until I was feeling it. I couldn't understand why she would create such an awful thing, especially if she knew that I was going to feel it. I thought she didn't love me. I thought all of her kindness and love towards me was a lie. I was upset... and said some pretty awful things to her.

"I ran to my room and hid there for a little while. From inside I could hear her crying downstairs. Now I was more confused than ever. If she could feel pain as well, then why did she create it? I went back downstairs and asked her this. She told me the same thing as before... that she made pain as a way to recognize when something bad happens. Again I asked, 'why can't you just be told that it's bad?' In response she said, 'I _am_ being told that this is bad. I'm being told by a sensation I created. That sensation's function is to identify things that are detrimental to our lives. It shows us where we must become stronger, and what we must avoid altogether. The sensation is always there for us at every moment, even when no one else is. I gave that sensation a name.. I called it pain.'

"Even after this explanation I was still confused. I could not understand why she would create life that included pain. Why would she create knees that could be skinned? Why did she make the ground so rough? She shook her head and said, 'I created no such things. I did, however, create knees that could be tickled, and a ground strong enough to play on.'

"Ryoko, if yesterday did not happen the way it did, then your life would have been sad and short. If you acted towards him in a way that you used to, you would have remembered yesterday as the wonderful day you first made love to Tenchi, yet it would have occurred almost exactly the same. You still would have been crying, it still would have been something you didn't want, and you still would have thought yourself filthy and unworthy. The only difference would have been that Tenchi wasn't holding you down, I never came to your aid, and when Tenchi asked you if you were alright, you would have smiled and said 'Yeah, I'm fine.' It would have been the largest lie you have ever told. In reality you would have hated every moment of it, the same as how you hated what happened yesterday. You would have ignored your own pain, and buried it inside.... fitting snugly between Kagato and the cave.

"The same travesty would have occurred, only you wouldn't have realized it was a travesty. You're knees were already skinned, Ryoko, and I helped you look down to see it."

It was quiet for a long while, where the only sound heard was Ryoko's sniffing nose. After that while, Ryoko said, "You said my life would have been short. How would I have died?... And how long from now?"

Washu reaffirmed her arms around her daughter. "It would have been fifteen years from now. You would have finally discovered a way to kill yourself, and do so almost immediately. You would have left behind two sons, a daughter, and a loving husband. No one, not even myself, would have understood why you took your own life."

Ryoko lifted her head to look at her mother. "I don't understand... I mean... how can you be sure things would happen like that? For some reason... it just doesn't sound believable."

Washu paused for a moment to think of a way to explain this better. She then said, "Ryoko... do you remember those first few days after Kagato attacked? When I first starting living in the house with everyone."

"Sort of.. yeah.."

"That time was very difficult for me, just as much as it was for you. The reason being... I was always hearing what you were truly thinking. Sometimes I even had to excuse myself from the room because I would have cried if I stayed. I watched you smile and flirt, when at the same time you thought yourself... a slut. The more you were around Tenchi, the worse you thought of yourself. It would keep adding up until you literally wanted to die."

Ryoko sighed with more tears on the way. "Yeah... that's how it was like. I always figured that it was only because he wasn't returning my love. That it was just a side effect from being ignored. But yesterday.... yesterday when he finally did return my feelings... and the thoughts did not go away... I was horrified. In fact, they seemed stronger than ever. I kept thinking such terrible things about myself. I talked myself lower and lower... I couldn't stand it. I had to get out of there."

Washu nodded. "In your hypothetical future, you're thoughts would become even worse after you were married. After you're first child you would have started physically abusing yourself in secret. After your second child... you would..." Washu came to an abrupt halt, and Ryoko looked to see what was the matter. She had started crying. "... Oh Ryoko.. you would have been in so much pain. .. You would have... gone to town.. and people would pay to abuse you.... in every context of the word. You managed to keep it secret from everyone... even me.

"Yes, Ryoko... I adjusted fate so that Tenchi would force himself upon you. On the surface, what I've done was terrible... and I abhor myself to no end. But at the same time... I cannot even imagine watching you waste away to a shell of a person."

Washu's eyes had dried by now, and with a deep sigh she said, "Ryoko, right now you have the opportunity to do anything. You're future is your own. You can stay here and build a family with Tenchi, if you like. You can travel the galaxy and go where ever you want, whenever you want. You can meet new people, make new friends, start a career, and maybe even find new love."

Washu held her daughter out and grasped her shoulders firmly. "Ryoko... you can do anything.... _anything!_ You have unlimited potential... That is my eternal gift to you as a Goddess, and as your mother. It was a gift I gave to you even before I gave you the gift of life. You will always have unlimited potential, no matter how great you become. As vast as the universe is, it still does not have as much potential as you. You're greatness will surpass even it. When that happens, you will become the Goddess of Fertility."

Ryoko paused for a short moment before returning to her mother's arms. She hugged her as tightly as she could, and said, "How do you do that?"

"How do I do what?"

"How do you make everything right?"

Washu smiled warmly. "I love you, that's how."

Ryoko quietly laughed. "I love you too."

Yosho had taken a long walk through the woods after leaving the shrine. It was something he always did on Jurai, whenever he was troubled. It was his hope that the Juraian trees could offer him insight that he could not gain on his own. This may have not been Jurai, but the therapeutic effect was still there. He was just now returning to the Shrine grounds when he heard in his mind,

Washu: Yosho, I need to speak with you.

Since he was unable to respond, he had little choice but to see what she needed. He returned to his office and sat on the floor in front of her. He noticed how still Ryoko was and asked, "Did she fall asleep?"

Washu nodded. "We finished talking only a little while after you left, a half hour after that she fell asleep."

He nodded. "I heard you speak in my mind just now. So it's true. You're a Goddess."

Washu tilted her head. "Yes, but I'm also a person. So don't get all weird on me, okay?"

He smiled. "Of course. What was it that you needed?"

She paused before saying, "Do you... love... Ryoko?"

He looked blankly into space. "I do. I used to think it was romantic love, but now I'm not sure anymore."

"She desperately needs a male figure in her life. The only men she has ever known are Kagato, Tenchi, the Juraians that abused her... and you."

"I don't think I follow you."

Washu thought about what she was trying to lead into, and it caused her to blush. She felt it and sighed. "I must look like an idiot. I... I want to be a better mother for her, and the only way I can do that is if she has some sort of father figure."

Yosho couldn't help but to be shocked. "Washu.. I.. uh.."

"... Well... I mean that... I think you would do a good job... well.. not just that.. but rather... uh... it's important that the person who helps me... is compatible with me.. and... I .. uh..."

Yosho swore that he had never seen Washu blush as much as she was now. He felt himself blush in return, and smiled affectionately. He closed the small distance between them and leaned over Ryoko to kiss Washu. It was a long time before the kiss parted, and when it did Washu said, "I want to fall in love with you."

Yosho nodded. "I think I could love you too."

They then shared another kiss.

--------------------------------

Several hours later when Ryoko woke up, she asked Washu if there was a way to contact Yuko. She supplied her daughter with a telephone number and allowed her to use the phone in her bedroom. Even though she was alone now, Ryoko felt the kind of anxiety that came when being watched. She carefully dialed the number, knowing that her every movement would be scrutinized by her imaginary audience.

The phone rang three times before Yuko's voice answered it. "Kobayashi Clinic, how may I help you?"

Ryoko stuttered, "Hi... Yuko? It's me... Ryoko..."

"It's so good to hear from you again, Ryoko. How are things?"

She knew if they consciously thought of her situation she would only break down into more tears, so she simply said, "Uh... they could be better."

"Is there something you'd like to speak with me about? Shall we schedule an appointment?"

"Well... I don't have much time. I kind of need to talk to you _right now_."

Yuko was hesitant. "I see. I would rather not discuss this over the phone, I don't think that would be considerate to our matters. If you can come in today I might be able to see you for a short while."

"I can't. I just... well.... Aeka is leaving today, and I don't want to be away from the house and risk missing her when she goes."

Yuko was silent while she thought of how to arrange this. She said, "Ryoko, I _can _help you right now, but I'll need to tell you something that might... upset you."

"Upset me? What do you mean?"

"Don't worry, it isn't anything bad. The problem is that this can be very overwhelming information, and I don't want to do that to you right now. You seem fairly overwhelmed as it is."

Ryoko's breath grew heavy as her mind warred on what to do. "... I... I just really need to talk to you right now. If it's not bad, then... then I guess it should be fine."

Yuko paused intentionally. She then said, "Ryoko, do you remember a few hours ago, when Washu told you how she spoke with her own mother about this whole ordeal?"

"... uh... Yeah... but how did you know?"

"I am her mother, and I know because... I just know."

Ryoko sat down on the nearby bed and tried her best to absorb this news. She was quiet for a long time, and Yuko thought for a moment that it might have been a mistake to tell her this. She was put at ease when Ryoko said, "I see..."

If you would like, I can meet you where you are right now. Is that all right with you?"

She paused and said, "I guess..."

"Alright. You can hang up the phone now. I'll be there in one second."

Ryoko did so, and just as expected, Yuko appeared in front of her. Her entrance was quite ordinary, and she made the same pop of the air that she and Washu make when they teleported. Before Yuko could say anything, Ryoko stuttered, "So... you're _the_ Goddess? You're the one who made everything?"

Yuko plainly nodded and said, "That is true, but I didn't come here to talk about me." She sat down the bed next to Ryoko. "What was it that you needed to ask me about?"

Ryoko took a moment to remember why she wanted to see Yuko in the first place. She said, "So, if you're my mom's mom, then you know what happened, right?"

Yuko nodded. "I do."

Ryoko sighed in relief. "Thank god. I'm really don't feel like explaining it. Whenever I do I totally lose it."

She then said, "What I wanted to ask you has to do with what happened leading up to it. It has to do with what you talked to me about yesterday. You know, that little nasty voice in my mind that calls me horrible things."

Yuko nodded.

"The problem is... that voice didn't go away. When I was close to Tenchi, I was hearing the voice louder than ever. That's what scared me the most. I didn't realize it then, because how fast everything happened. Afterwards I gave it a lot of thought and I was able to see that hearing that voice was scaring me more than Tenchi. When I was with him, I felt more and more like I did before. I felt miserable, and I started to hate myself. Wasn't that already taken care of? What's going on with this?"

Yuko thought for a moment, and then said, "Ryoko, can you remember exactly what happened before you started having negative thoughts?"

Hesitantly, Ryoko said, "Well... I was asleep, and Tenchi was sort of... feeling me..." She quickly changed tones, "I mean, we had kissed earlier, and he told me he loved me. We were taking a nap together, so what he was doing wasn't that weird."

"I see. Then what happened?"

Ryoko looked to the floor. "My initial reaction was to push him away. It really confused him, since that's not something I usually do. I tried to explain to him how I've been going through some changes, but he was so worried that he had done something wrong that he kept insisting I told him exactly what was going on. I wasn't ready to tell him yet. I was able to convince him to not worry about it right now, because it really wasn't his fault. He apologized for overreacting, and we tried to get some more sleep. He was holding me in his arms, and I started thinking terrible things..."

Yuko nodded and said, "Ryoko, I don't believe this is the same as what we talked about yesterday. It may seem very similar, or even identical to your previous issue, but I think it is different."

Ryoko didn't appear satisfied with her answer. "I'm just supposed to believe its something else? There must be something else going on..."

Yuko paused for a moment to try and think of a clear way to explain her understanding of it. "You see... even though the mind is very complex, it actually behaves in a very simplified way when you break it down. No matter what tier of life you achieve, our minds will always operate on a survival bases. Immortal or not, invulnerable or not, every human has survival imbedded into their subconscious.

"The reason you judged yourself from the experience in the cave is because you feared for you life. It didn't matter that they could not kill you. Your subconscious doesn't know that you cannot die. It only knows that the pain you are feeling must stop immediately. That is your breaking point, and you would do anything to stop your pain."

Ryoko sighed and crossed her arms stiffly.

Yuko rested her hand on Ryoko's shoulder and said, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Ryoko. Everyone has a point at which they break. I have one, your mother has one, and so do the other Goddesses. In your case, when you those men orally violated you, your mind associated survival with sexual promiscuity. In your subconscious it was written that being sexually open to others was necessary for your survival, even if it certainly is not true. The conflict arose when you consciously rejected the conclusion your subconscious had made."

Ryoko quietly said, "... I... I would find myself doing things that I couldn't explain. Like... when all of us visited the hot springs that Tenchi's Aunt owned, I was completely nude in front of Tenchi almost the entire time. I kept thinking to myself, 'what the hell am I doing?', but I never stopped to put something on. I didn't want him to see me naked... not like that at least... but I never did anything about it. I remember my thoughts keeping me up that night..."

Yuko nodded. "Yes, that's what it is like when you subconscious thinks one thing, and your consciousness thinks something else. You'll have unexplainable behavior that you never wanted. Yesterday we fixed that, I'm sure of it."

"Did we? I don't know... I remember hating myself so much when Tenchi held me..."

Yuko said, "This morning, when you picked out something to wear. Did you feel like the decision was not your own? Did you have negative thoughts about what you chose to wear, and force yourself to ignore them?"

"Well... no..."

"That is what we fixed. You no longer feel like you need to be promiscuous in order to be accepted. That connection in your subconscious has been erased."

Ryoko sighed again. "Well, what the hell is wrong? Why did my self esteem hit the floor when Tenchi was so close to me?"

Yuko plainly said, "Ryoko, I do not know. I am, however, willing to speak with you about it. Not all issues will be fixable as quickly as the one yesterday."

Ryoko stood and paced away from the bed. She was silent for a long moment, and Yuko said, "Does the thought of talking with me give you anxiety?"

"Sort of. Yesterday I was totally fine talking to you, because I didn't really think you would be able to pull out of me what you did. I'm afraid of what else you'll find. In a way... I don't want to know what's wrong with me. I want to just forget about it."

"Yes, that's a very normal attitude to have. With the way things stand now, I don't think you will encounter severe depression like you did before... even with this situation with Tenchi. The choice is entirely yours. If you wish to learn more about yourself, I can help you do that. If not, I will not interfere with your decision."

Ryoko's breath became audible. "But... I don't really have that much of a choice. What if I lose it again like that? I don't want to become a walking disaster..."

"Ryoko, you make it sound as if the incident yesterday was your fault."

"None of this would have happened if I didn't have a complete meltdown. Yesterday could have been so different..."

Yuko stood and placed a hand on Ryoko's shoulder. "Ryoko, you didn't cause this to happen. There's no reason to blame yourself."

She dodged away from Yuko and cried, "Look, I'm not _blaming _myself here... I just... I know things could have gone differently. If I would just do what I'm supposed to do then nothing bad would happen! I thought about this a whole lot this morning... and at first I thought my mom did this to accomplish some greater scheme. She explained it to me and told me things I sort of already knew. Everything that happens is because of one of the three Goddesses. All the good news and bad news somehow leads back to them, so it would be unfair for me to hate my mom every time I experience something painful."

Ryoko then shook her head to keep from losing track of her point. "What I mean is, if the Goddesses can't answer for all the strings they're pulling, then it's on us. I can't control Tenchi, so worrying about what he'll do is a waste of energy. However, I _can _control myself, and I know that if I had just done what I was supposed to do then yesterday would have been a lot different."

"Ryoko... it's not your fault."

She threw up her arms. "I know it's not my fault! Haven't you been listening to me?"

Yuko nodded. "I have been listening very carefully. You say that things could have been different if you had done what you were supposed to do. What would have that been?"

Ryoko sighed and said, "I don't know, exactly. I probably would have just figured out what Tenchi wanted and then gave it to him."

"What he wanted? What about what you wanted?"

Ryoko folded her arms. "What I wanted wasn't going to happen either way, so that doesn't matter."

"That doesn't mean you must make such allowances..."

She then spoke soft and cold, "Trust me I know what I'm talking about. I don't really give a shit if you're the great creator, you don't know anything about this. There's always going to be someone with a bigger stick. When you meet that person you have to avoid them all together, or figure out how to please them. Over the last four years I've slowly started to think that maybe I was wrong about this, but yesterday reminded me of the reality of the situation."

A silence expectedly came right after. Yuko knew Ryoko was waiting for her to respond, and she intentionally drew out the moment to try and show that she fully understand what Ryoko was trying to say. Yuko spoke clearly, "I do not question your knowledge about this. I am aware of you experiences. I... I would like to talk with you about them, if that is at all possible."

Ryoko turned her back to Yuko. "No. I don't feel like talking to you anymore. Thanks for showing me that what we talked about two days ago wasn't a huge waste of time."

"Ryoko..."

Her shoulder's stiffened as she yelled, "You said you wouldn't interfere if I said no! I don't want you're help, okay? I'm going now. I don't have to show you the way out, do I...?"

For the first time Yuko was at a loss for words. "... Uh... No... not at all..."

"Good bye."

"... Good day... Ryoko...."

A moment later there was snap in the air pressure as she teleported away. Ryoko exhaled the breath she had been secretly holding the entire time. She stood facing the door and blankly stared at the knob. Instead of walking through it, she turned around and headed for the bed, where she slumped down onto the covers and cried.

--------------------------------

Aeka woke up before Sasami did, and when she saw her sister sleeping she quietly exited their room. In the living room she sat down and tried to decipher what she heard her sister say when she came in their room to sleep in late. Aeka was only half awake, but she still found it strange that her sister would want to go back to bed during the day. Sasami mumbled something she couldn't understand, and was too tired to ask her to repeat herself.

While in thought, she heard a nearby door open and close. She saw Ryoko standing in front of the lab door. There was an awkward moment of silence that occurred when they saw each other's exhausted expression. Ryoko eventually said, "Hey..."

"Hello, Ryoko."

Ryoko made her way to the couch and sat down. "I was hoping I could see you one more time."

Aeka thought she worded that strangely and said, "See me... 'one more time'?"

Her initial reaction made her say, "Well yeah... I mean... because you're leaving and everything..."

"I'm leaving? Where am I going?"

Ryoko's eyes went wide as she realized that Aeka didn't even know about what was happening to her. She said, "Uh... You're not going anywhere. Forget it, it was a bad joke..."

"A joke? I don't understand it."

Ryoko forced a laugh. "I know. That's why it was a bad one. C'mon, lets go take a bath."

"Uh... okay..." said Aeka while being pulled to her feet by Ryoko.

Standing around the far corner of the house, Tenchi watched Ryoko and Aeka head for the bath. He had been wondering outside for hours since his father brought him home from the hospital, and it was just as Aeka and Ryoko were meeting in the living room did he need to go inside. When they passed without noticing him, he went indoors to see if Mihoshi there.

He quickly gathered that she was still off planet somewhere, wrapping up the police business she mentioned at the hospital. He needed to know how she was going to handle this. He thought he would have been arrested at the hospital, but when he wasn't he became worried that maybe Mihoshi was trying to cover it up for him.

He couldn't simply wait for her to come back to the house; it might already be too late by them. He had to contact her as soon as he could. There was an obvious solution to his problem, but it would require him going into Washu's lab and asking her for help. It wasn't like he feared his own death, but rather he feared an encounter with Washu in general.

Even with all of the dread he felt, his quick resolve pushed him through the lab door. He didn't care what happened to him, but he couldn't allow Mihoshi to do him any favors. Not when his guilt was already as much as it was. On the other side was Washu's palm tree lab, and he spotted her instantly sitting on her floating cushion. When the crab ornament above the door sounded off, she turned to see whom it was.

She stood and faced him directly, to show him that she was still in her adult form. She quietly said, "What?"

Tenchi forget himself for a moment, and he remained silent until Washu shot, "Don't waste my time. What do you want?"

"I-I need to speak with Mihoshi, but she's not on... this planet."

Washu crossed her arms. "Why?"

It was a response Tenchi didn't entirely expect, but he had no reason to keep it from her. "... When we last spoke, I thought she was going to... arrest me. She didn't, and I have a feeling that she might be doing me too many favors."

Washu didn't say a word as she turned to her holographic laptop. A moment later she was walking away from the computer while pointing a finger towards it. Mihoshi's voice jolted the awkward atmosphere of the room. "Hi! Hello!? This is Mihoshi!"

Tenchi could tell that Washu didn't want to be anywhere near him. She was making things move as quickly as possible. Tenchi stuttered, "H-hi, Mihoshi. It's me, Tenchi."

"Tenchi? How can you call me? I'm in my ship and only special transmissions are accepted..."

"... Washu... helped...."

"Oh I see. So... um... what do you want?"

He couldn't help but smile. At last he was beginning to encounter the consequences of his actions. Both Washu and Mihoshi greeted him with 'what do you want'? It was no longer casual, and he had a feeling it never will be again.

"I just was wondering... why nothing has happened to me. I broke the law. I don't want any special favors. I want to take responsibility for my own actions."

Mihoshi's tone became quirky. "Well... I can't do anything about that, Tenchi. You know how this sort of thing is. If the other party is consenting, then it wasn't against the law. If they weren't consenting... then they have to tell me. They've got this funny term for it that doesn't make any sense to me. That term is 'press charges'. Miss Ryoko and Miss Washu haven't 'pressed' any charges yet, so I can't do anything."

Tenchi looked over to Washu, who had been watching out of the corner of her eyes with her back turned. The silence was long enough to confuse Mihoshi. "Tenchi? Are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm here. I guess that's all I needed to know... Thanks..."

"Okay, Tenchi. Um... bye...."

An emotion he didn't expect shifted through him. Harshly he said, "Why haven't you pressed charges?"

Washu quietly responded. "I don't want to talk about it."

"_I_ want to talk about it! Am I the only person who thinks what I've done was terrible? You wanted to kill me less than twenty-four hours ago, now you don't even want to talk about it. This is just like my father. In the car ride home he kept telling me I'd somehow get through this, and it'll work out in the end. He didn't lecture me, or yell, or even get mad. What the hell is wrong with everyone? The only other person I who is enraged at me is Aeka, and she's mostly upset because I ignored her for the last four years."

Tenchi started walking towards her when she gave no response. He shouted, "I can't live with myself! I can't stand that I'm still a free man! I should be imprisoned! I should be executed!" He grabbed her shoulders and was nearly screaming in her face, "I want to die for what I've done! I've hurt Ryoko so much! I've hurt you, and Aeka, and my father, and Mihoshi! My mind refuses to let me rest. My thoughts are so wretched that I literally am in physical pain. I haven't slept since it happened! I haven't eaten a single thing since then! I _can't _eat! Eating is such a disgusting luxury for someone like me. I raped your daughter, Washu! Why can't anyone have a normal reaction to that?!"

With a cold glare she said, "Get out of my lab, right now."

"I'm not going anywhere-"

Washu snapped her fingers and he dragged to the door by an invisible force. Just as he was thrown through the doorway, he shouted, "Damnit, Washu!!"

She shook her head and held her elbows. She thought out loud, "I can't hate you the way you want me to, Tenchi..."

Washu wasn't looking for a response, but she received one just the same. Tokimi's transparent figure appeared before her. She tried to express an image of understanding, but like always her face scarcely changed. "No one would blame you, if you behaved normally about this."

Washu sighed. "I know, but I feel like such a hypocrite if I were to press charges. I think Ryoko feels the same way about it."

Tokimi gave a slight smile. "I wonder if I appear this foolish about my own ventures as you do for yours. You and Ryoko both know that Tenchi is responsible for his own actions. The influence you had over that moment was so miniscule, that there's a good chance it would have happened anyway without any effort from your part. You know how insignificant our will is on a moment-to-moment basis. It would be like walking up to a stone wall and kindly asking it to fall over."

"I know that... I don't know why I'm acting like this. It isn't good example for Ryoko..."

Tokimi folded her arms. "If she misunderstand what it is like to be a guiding leader, then she'll blame herself every time something terrible happens. You know what that can lead to..."

Washu was quiet.

"I think you should speak with her about this as soon as possible. She'll be able to put Tenchi's heart at rest by holding him accountable for what he's done."

Washu nodded and walked up to Tokimi. She rested a hand on her shoulder and said, "I need to think about this. Thank you... for reminding me... of what I already knew."

Tokimi nodded. "Of course."

-----------------------------------

Ryoko let out a refreshing sigh as she slipped into the water. "This never gets old..."

Aeka nodded with a smile.

Ryoko abruptly started speaking. It sounded rushed and gave Aeka the idea she was thinking something else when she said it. "So Aeka, what's Jurai like, anyway?"

"I'm not entirely sure, since I haven't been there in seven hundred years. But that might not mean anything. My mother always told me how the cities around the palace are somehow locked in time. They never changed during her lifetime there, and she heard from her mother that they were the same even for her. On the other hand, I know that there are portions of Jurai that change drastically from generation to generation, much like how I've noticed Earth change."

Ryoko had an expression that told Aeka's answer was taking too long. "Yeah, I might have guessed that. What I mean is... how are they're ideas and stuff? Does that change a lot?"

Aeka shrugged. "I don't know. It all depends really. Some of our ideals stay locked in forever. Some can change."

Ryoko mumbled, "That doesn't really help me much..."

"... It doesn't... help you? What are you talking about?"

She shrugged and said, "I don't really know. I feel like I have some soul searching to do... like I need to get away from here for a little while..."

"And you were thinking of going to Jurai?"

Ryoko shrugged. "Seemed like a convenient location. For a number of reasons..."

Aeka was about to ask what she meant, but Ryoko quickly changed the subject. "You looked like you were about to break down in the living room there."

She nodded. "I've been thinking about everything you said last night. It's a lot to take in. Especially how you said your mother caused all of this. I can't think of her the same way anymore..."

Ryoko shook her head. "Don't sweat it. I was really confused and hurt when I came to you. I made it sound as if she intentionally wanted me to suffer. That isn't true. I'm sorry I made you worry."

Aeka sighed, "But I don't understand. That's so different compared to what you said before."

"I know. All I can say is that I promise to explain it to you later on. I sort of feel too tired to explain it... if you can understand."

Aeka nodded, but she couldn't help but to feel frustrated at the same time. Four days ago she thought she understood Ryoko's personality. Her past may have been a mystery to her, but she was confident that she knew the sort of person she was like. However, the more she was around Ryoko, the more she realized that her personality also wasn't as it seemed.

This thought plagued her so vividly that she accidentally spoke it aloud. "Ryoko, what are you like?"

"What am I like? Uh... I'm not sure how to answer that one, Princess."

Aeka tried to re-word the question to something more reasonable. "I mean... what do you like to do? I don't even know what your interests are."

Aeka saw a reaction she didn't expect. She blushes and dodged her eyes away from Aeka. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No! ...Er, no.... It's just that it's sort of embarrassing."

Aeka raised an eyebrow. "Embarrassing? It's alright if you don't want to say."

"It's okay. I think I should tell you anyways. It's only that... it's sort of.... dumb."

Aeka forced a nervous smile. "Dumb?"

Ryoko took in a deep breath to signal the start of her explanation. "Well what I like to do... is pretty simple. You know when I sleep during the day? Most of the time I'm not really asleep. I like to just lay there..."

Aeka said, "Lay there.... and?"

"... And listen."

"Listen to what...?"

"Silence."

Appropriately, a moment of that silence passed before Aeka said, "You listen to silence?"

Ryoko picked up the small hint of skeptical tone in her voice. Sounding defensive she said, "Do you realize how loud combat is for me? I don't duel with individuals. I fight against armies. It gets really loud really fast."

"I thought you said you were never conscious when Kagato made you fight."

Ryoko shook her head. "He only does that whenever I openly oppose him, or there's too much risk of me escaping. Controlling me took quite a toll of energy on his part, I think. I guess if he had the option, he rather let me fight on my own. To be specific, he really only let me fight alone when I was helping defend the Souja. Coordinated attacks against the Souja were constantly happening. Sometimes they can only be described as all out war. I've been in single battles that have lasted decades. I literally mean non-stop combat for thirty or forty years. It's always easier to fight on a planet, because the terrain can work to your advantage. If I were in space, silence would be a wonderful gift, however becoming surrounded would be impossible to avoid."

Aeka seemed surprised. "They would have been trouble, even for you? I thought..."

"Aeka, I'm talking about fleets of second generation Juraian battle ships, just like your own Ryo-Oh. You're ship could compete with weakened Ryo-Ohki. Even at full strength, fighting more than twenty of them at once is ridiculous. Using a planet as an obstacle was extremely helpful, and the atmosphere made things extremely noisy. A memory that stands out the most for me is when I was in a battle that lasted half a century. I forgot what silence sounded like, it was that bad. When the battle was finally over, my ears began bleeding from the lack of sound."

Aeka didn't have words to comment with.

"Ever since then I've always been a 'fan' of silence. I have having such high tolerances for everything. It makes me feel so used up. Sometimes it's nice to pretend that my life wasn't thrown away like a piece of trash. That's what I'm doing on that beam most of the day... Pretending to be a lazy freeloader whose life has been nothing but self-satisfaction and excitement."

After a brief pause, Aeka said, "I think I can understand that. It's so strange though..."

"What is?"

"My conception of you... It was exactly what you wanted it to be."

Ryoko shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

Aeka accidentally thought out loud. "I want to know more about you..." In her mind it sounded ordinary, but when spoken it caused an awkward moment.

"Eh... don't say stupid things."

Aeka shook her head. "I only meant..."

Ryoko said, "I know, I'm teasing you," but her tone was hoping for a subject change. An idea occurred to her and she said, "What about you, Aeka? You never talk about yourself."

"Well... I..."

Before even given a chance to sound reluctant, Aeka was interrupted by an obvious shadow being cast over the entire Onsen. "What is this now?" She looked up to see a Juraian ship descending to the surface of the planet. It was unmistakably the first ship of the Jurai King. Aeka sighed in annoyance, "Of all the times to visit. I hope they don't plan to stay long."

Ryoko slowly went to her feet. "I think... I think we should go greet them."

Aeka sighed. "I suppose..."

They dressed themselves and went to the front deck where two Juraian guards were already standing. Washu and Yosho were there, standing side by side. Aeka immediately noticed that Yosho's age was drastically younger, and that Washu's age was drastically older. She cried out, "What's the meaning of this!? Brother, you appearance... How can this be?"

Yosho spoke softly, "I'm sorry for keeping this from you, but I had my reasons..."

She turned to Washu. "Why are you still in your adult form? And why are you being so familiar with my brother!!"

With a grin, Washu stuck out her tongue. "I have my reasons as well."

"But... but... this is all so sudden!"

Ryoko slunk in behind Aeka and holstered an arm around her neck. "Don't sweat it, Princess. Let the old farts be old together."

Washu's grin faded. "Oh my foolish daughter. You know... by technicality your age is irrelevant, and therefore equivalent to mine."

"Whatever..."

Yosho said, "Right now there isn't any time to worry about my appearance. Please trust in me that I did not do this to intentionally deceive you."

Aeka didn't appear to be satisfied by his explanation, but Yosho was correct that it wasn't the time. One of the guards standing at the edge of the deck stepped forward and declared, "His Majesty has arrived!"

Aeka turned to face the two guards. In the microscopic moment, she saw Ryoko take a step forward so that she partly stood in front of her. The movement was familiar to her. She had seen the Royal Guard stand in front of her like that countless times. Aeka thought, 'what is your meaning, Ryoko? Do you know something I don't?'

Aeka realized she was staring when Ryoko glanced back and gave a friendly smile. She shyly averted her eyes back to the two guards and saw as her father teleported between them. She waited for her mother and aunt to follow how they normally did, but the wait was long enough to tell that they weren't coming this time.

Aeka whispered curiously, "Father...?"

Azusa studied the small audience before him. He noticed Washu as an adult, and his son in his true form. He gave a thin smile and said, "So you've told them, Yosho?"

"I've told those who needed to know."

"I see."

Aeka spoke up. "Wait... told us what? What's going on here?"  
Ryoko spoke with a dark tone. She never lifted her gaze from Azusa. "Don't think about it, Aeka. There's nothing to know, because nothing is going to happen."

"Nothing is going to happen? What WAS going to happen?"

Azusa raised his voice. "I'm not going to play any games this time. Aeka, find Sasami so we can leave immediately. This place is no longer suitable for you."

Aeka almost spoke out in protest but Ryoko cut in. "No one is going anywhere!"

For the first time since he arrived, Azusa's gaze met Ryoko's eyes. With a sneer he said, "Ah, Lady Ryoko. This is not of your concern. If you don't stand down, I'll have no choice but to assume your presence here is a hostile one."

Ryoko clenched her fists tighter. Aeka grasped Ryoko's shoulder to try and settle her down. "Ryoko, we can do this without fighting, can't we?"

Ryoko took a step forward to widen her stance, but her mother wasn't going to let her go any further. "Ryoko... dearest... I have to talk to you for a second."

"Mom! I'm kind of in the middle of something here..."

Washu grinned. "That's why I need to talk to you."

Ryoko glanced at her mother who was waving innocently. Yosho had an uninvolved look about him, but at the same time he was moderately amused by what was going on. With everyone being relaxed except her, she was forced to realize that she wasn't helping the situation the least bit.

For the first time she noticed Aeka's subtle tugging on her sleeve. She spoke in nearly a whisper. "Ryoko... go speak with your mother. I'll speak with my fa-"

"But!"

Aeka held up a finger. "Shhh! Don't worry, I wont go anywhere without you being fully aware of it. Please... it's our best chance if I speak with him personally."

Ryoko sighed in defeat. She painfully stepped away from Aeka and carried herself to Washu, all the while keeping a close eye on Aeka as she walked to her father.

Washu turned to Yosho and said, "How about you go visit with your father?"

Yosho nodded with an awkward smile. "Alright..."

When he was out of earshot Ryoko whined, "Mom, what do you want?"

"I only wanted to tell you that I think you're forgetting about something pretty big here."

"Like what?"

Washu rolled her eyes. "Like Tenchi. The longer you wait to talk to him, the harder it will get. Why haven't you talked to him yet?"

Ryoko scratched beside her ear. "I don't know... I guess I keep forgetting..."

"Forgetting? I don't think it's that simple. I know that talking to him has to be pretty frightening idea right now... and it will feel like you've just forgotten to do it. It's clear that you want to talk about it, but you keep going to the wrong person. You used my phone to call Yuko this morning, and you were talking to Yosho before her. Just now you were with Aeka in the Onsen."

"But... that was just..."

"It may have seemed logical to you, because you don't want to talk to Tenchi. You know... Tenchi was doing the same thing, too."

"... He... he did?"

Washu nodded. "Yes. He came into my lab today because he wanted to call Mihoshi. After he talked to her... he had a short chat with me. I also heard from Mihoshi that he went to the hospital to visit his friend. No doubt that he probably tried to get some things off his mind in that conversation, too. He's just as afraid to talk to you, as you are of him."

Ryoko sighed. "That doesn't make it any easier, though..."

"Yes I know... but you're running out of time. You can't handle this situation in your current state. Talk to Tenchi so that you can clear you head. Don't worry, I'll help make sure Aeka and Sasami doesn't go anywhere."

After some more whining and a little pushing, Ryoko finally relinquished her stubbornness and headed indoors. The best place to look for him was his room, and with this in mind she purposely checked every other section of the house first. When she could no longer dodge the inevitable, she found herself knocking lightly on Tenchi's door.

She heard some shuffling and then a few tired footsteps. The door slid open fast, as if it annoyed him. This was the part that Ryoko really wanted to avoid. The soul crushing silence that would make confident people want to second-guess themselves.

Ryoko wanted to at least look him in the face, but the most she could afford was the very bottom of his chin. A burst of courage let her glance up for a second, and she saw that he was also looking away for the most part.

"Do you..." Tenchi's voice startled her, and when he saw her reaction he hesitated. "Do you... want to sit over there and talk?" He gestured to the oversized carrot pillows not far from Tenchi's door.

She nodded, and they found a place within the pillows. The silence between them lasted for nearly twenty minutes. The tension between them was so thick that Ryoko thought, 'I don't know if we can recover from this... Maybe its better if we didn't...'

On that note she concluded that if there was to be separation, it should be as painless as possible. 'If I tell him about myself, he wont be as disappointed.'

"Tenchi, I want to tell you something."

He turned his head to see her.

"I wanted to at least tell you why my personality has been... hard to measure. When I was still in the cave, some men came in and did some nasty things to me. Without my gems and being as weakened as I was, I was actually frightened for my life. I ... serviced them... so they would stop beating me."

Tenchi went pale.

"I made some conclusions about myself that I was bad person like that. That idea became locked away in my mind. Four days ago I wouldn't be able to tell you why I acted the way I used to, because I would have to dig to painful memories in order to remember. So I just went along with my impulses, deciding that there was no way to go back."

Ryoko blushed. "That's why I used to be so forward with you. Why I did all those embarrassing things and made it seem it was no big deal. I won't lie... it did cause me a lot of pain. Whenever I was alone I'd feel so embarrassed I would cry. I felt used, even though I was the one doing it to myself.

"Two days ago I talked to someone about it. They really had the right idea about me, and I folded instantly. I kind of feel stupid for having such a weak defense, but its really better that I did. She helped me figure what was really going on inside my head. When I was finally able to see my problem from the outside, dealing with it was infinitely simpler.

"So... that's why I acted so differently. I'm sure you were probably wondering..."

After another long pause she added, "I'll understand if you want to just... call it quits on this."

His response was immediate. "There's no way I could ever do that. It's completely impossible for me to not love you."

He stood and paced a few feet away. "But... what you've said... God I feel even more stupid than before..."

Ryoko stood as well. "Wait... that doesn't bother you at all? I mean... what happened to me... and how I've been acting..."

"I'm sorry about what happened to you. If I knew what to do to help you with that, I would have done it. But that's not reason for me to like you any less." He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry I'm not saying this right. I mean... I want to know more about you. Including all the bad stuff. I know this is probably all too late... after what I did..."

From behind she rested her head against his back. "I know you wont think this, Tenchi, but you're being really sweet about this."

He stepped away from her and turned around. "Why? Why can't you get angry at me?"

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know, Tenchi. I just... feel so sad about all of this. It's hard to get angry when it's like that."

After a pause she asked, "Why did it happen, Tenchi? Maybe if you tell me I can get angry, like you want."

He shook his head. "It's too soon. I don't even know what happened myself. To tell you the truth, when I saw you at my door just now, I almost asked to talk about it later. I need more time to think about it. And I don't mean a few extra days, I mean I think I need a lot of time..."

Ryoko gently nodded. "I feel the same, I think."

After a brief silence, Tenchi said, "We can't be together, can we?"

She shrugged. "That's another reason why I can't get angry at you. I can't be with you anymore, and it would be pointless to get mad at you."

Tenchi nodded. "So, are you going to leave then?"

Ryoko was reminded of what she said the day before, about needed time to discover her self. That sentiment was still true, and its meaning now was as strong as ever. Even now, Aeka was on the verge of leaving for Jurai, a location so significant to Ryoko's past that's incomprehensible. Aeka herself was a friend whose relationship unexpectedly deepened over that past few days, and Ryoko's attendance on the journey would seem more than natural.

Tokimi's words from the night four days ago echoed in her head, and she gave an amusing smile.

Tenchi said, "Are you glad to be able to get away?"

Ryoko shook her head. "No it's not that. A little while ago I talked to someone and they told me my future. I didn't believe them, but here it is exactly how they said it would be."

He appeared confused. "Someone predicted this? Who?"

She shrugged. "Lady Tokimi. When she first told me it made me think about what it must be like to be a Goddess like that and know the future. I imagined it would take all the fun out of life. I realize now that even if I know what's going to happen, living it is completely different. I became so absorbed in what was happening that I completely forgot about her prediction until just now. Now that I've lived it, what she told me no longer sounds like a prophecy, but just good advice."

He was afraid to ask, but he did so anyway. "What was that good advice?"

Ryoko turned her back to him. "... You know... to get out in the world. Discover my self. Discover... other people."

With tears coming from his eyes, Tenchi laughed and shook his head. "That does sound like good advice." He slumped back down into the pillows on the floor, and the pain in his chest made him say, "You know..." but he ended himself there.

"What is it?"

He shook his head. "No. I shouldn't say."

"You might as well, now."

".... What I did was terrible... but was it really this bad? I mean ... this is really happening... we're never going to see each other the same away again."

Ryoko nodded with her own tears coming. "Yeah... this is why I could never get angry at you. In fact, at the start of this I was hoping I could find a way for you to hate me, so this wouldn't be so painful."

The expression of pain on his face was more than she could bear, and with a quiet, "I have to go now..." she drifted down the stairs to the first floor living room.

Ryoko took a seat in the soft grass next to Aeka. Despite the impressive landscape that surrounded them, they were nowhere near a terrestrial surface. With a sigh Aeka said, "You really confuse me, Ryoko. The moment before you were ready to fight my father to keep me on earth. When you came back you were practically pushing me onto my father's ship. You haven't explained yourself yet."

Ryoko laughed. "Yeah I will. But first I have to say that these Juraian ships really mess with your head. I feel like I'm outside, but we're in deep space."

The portion of the craft they were sitting was an area outside of Aeka's room. Ryoko said, "You're room almost looks like a house from here! Really it's almost over kill, don't you think?"

Aeka never gave it much thought before. "... Well... it is a bit much compared to what we've been used to on Earth, but I honestly cannot help it. I don't think I could refuse these accommodations even if I wished to."

Ryoko shrugged and leaned onto her back with her hands behind her head. There was dim artificial light that had no apparent source. It was a yellowish glow that appeared everywhere. At the same time the dome above them was transparent, and the stars were visible as they traversed through the cosmos.

"To tell you the truth, Aeka, I was thinking about getting away from that house ever since yesterday. It was when I was with Tenchi, before things went really bad, that the idea for occurred to me. The reason I didn't want to leave at first was because I didn't want to leave without telling Tenchi what I was thinking. There were also some things I wanted to find out from him, but he wasn't ready to talk about it yet."

Aeka nodded. "So that's why..."

"Even though so much has happened between us, Tenchi and I hardly interacted... anything more than flirting anyway I can only remember handful of times that he and I had honest conversations about nothing in particular."

With a skeptical tone Aeka said, "A conversation about nothing in particular?"

"Oh sure. Like how we have when we're drunk off our asses in the Onsen."

Aeka tried her best to sound repelled, just like a proper girl should, but it ended up as a cheerful laugh. "Oh I certainly will miss those days."

Ryoko propped herself up on her elbows. "Miss what? Why are those days going to stop? Isn't that why I'm tagging along?"

"Well... it usually isn't customary to bath with company..."

Ryoko cut her off with a laugh. "Guess that just means I'll be reforming you traditions when I get there."

Aeka didn't even bother to oppose her here. It would be pointless.

Ryoko's tone became serious again. "Getting back to what I wanted to say before. I've been having this feeling that what Tenchi and I lacked was solid communication of our feelings. I think it was easier to fall in love with him so quickly when I didn't completely know who he was. The more I think about how our situation was, the more unrealistic our relation seemed. It really was like a fairy tale. That's part of the reason why it seemed so appealing at the time. I wanted something to work out for the first time in my life."

Aeka was silent at first. After a pause she said, "Ryoko... I... I'm curious..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you hate Tenchi now? You're making it sound as if you almost regret meeting him."

Ryoko sat upright and gave Aeka a shrug. "I don't hate him. I think if anything I would be able to love him with feelings more true than before. Of course there's a part of me that wished he had made sweet romantic promises and swept me off my feet, but of course that could never happen. I'm just sounding cold because of the separation. And to think my mom just warned me about that, too..."

"Washu warned you?"

Ryoko nodded. "Yeah, she said I was probably going to feel the effects of 'decathexis'. She always uses big words like that. She said it was something that people did to make emotional separation less painful. Where it seems like they suddenly don't care anymore. The truth is... I still do care about Tenchi a whole lot, I just don't want to think about him right now."

Aeka said, "I didn't notice before, but that's just like how I felt that night you told me that Tenchi didn't love me. I had some pretty awful thoughts about him right after that. I was probably doing the same thing you are now."

After a long silence, Ryoko quietly said. "Let's talk about something else."

Aeka gave a quiet response. "What about?"  
Ryoko leaned onto her back again and smiled. "Nothing in particular, if you don't mind."

Aeka looked up as well. "Alright then. Do you like the stars? I see you looking at them a lot."

"I love the stars. They make me feel so free."

"That must be nice. The stars don't have the same effect on me, sadly..."

"Oh, no?"

"I can feel overwhelmed if I look at them too long. Considering my position, I can't help but to feel like I have to be responsible for each one."

Ryoko nodded. "No wonder you would feel overwhelmed. There billions of stars out there."

"I like you're thinking better. Why do you feel so free looking at them?"

"I just like the idea that if I started flying out there right now, in a hundred million years I still wouldn't have scratched the surface of the universe."

Aeka smiled. "Yeah, that does sound nice." She paused before asking, "Ryoko, is it okay if I ask you a question about something?"

"Sure, give it a shot."

"Are you scared about going back to Jurai?"

There was a long silence.

"Yeah, I am."

Aeka smiled at her and said, "I think you'll be well received. My father seemed fairly optimistic for some reason."

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about him. Does he always shift moods like that so quickly? He and I almost started fighting, but the moment I said I wanted to come with you he was more that accommodating."

Aeka sighed. "He gets like that when he has information he doesn't feel like explaining to anyone else. It's probably something simple. Just the same I think we should take it as a good sign."

Ryoko smiled and nodded. She then thought, 'Yeah, but I'm still scared out of my mind.'

Aeka yawned and leaned onto her back next to Ryoko. As if reading her mind she said, "I know that probably doesn't help you much. It'll be okay, though. If anyone is going to act shamefully towards you, they'll have to go through me first."

For some reason that Ryoko couldn't explain, that was the most comforting thing she had ever heard. "Thanks, Aeka. That means so much."

A cool breeze crossed them and they both yawned at the same time. Ryoko said, "It's really nice in here... er... out here-in here-... er... whatever."

Aeka giggled. "Yes, I enjoy the environment in our ships a lot. Whenever I travel I take naps in the shade."

"That sounds like a good idea." Ryoko yawned again, making it her longest yet. "Hey Aeka..."

"Yeah?"

"Can you wake me up before we get there?"

She nodded. "Of course."

A moment later she felt Ryoko's fingers just barely wrap around her arm. She heard her say, "Thanks... for so much..."

Aeka smiled. "Don't think of it. I'm just glad I could be your friend."

"Same to you, Princess."

Log recorded on Cycle 98.92.50.29

Author: Lady Ryoko

Heading: Comment

I wanted to add a comment to everyone who read this small segment of my history. First of all, let me apologize for the sake of my mom and aunts for over dramatizing these four days of my life. When I first read what they had come up with I couldn't help but to laugh until I cried. It was like reading a soppy drama! The experience was quite different, even though they claim that this is supposed to be an "accurate" depiction of what happened.

I also want to say that I'm really surprised by the fact that this is the most requested Archive Block in the entire Archive Hall. I wonder why my history is so much more fascinating than my aunts' or mom's. At any rate, I think you should check out their stories too.

Anyway, I think I should say that I'm grateful to everyone that has accepted me as a full-fledged Goddess. I've only been here for a few thousand cycles now, but I already feel like I've been around for millions.

Again, please excuse this soppy mess of drama you just read. It really wasn't anything like that. Honest :)


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